Voter Trends and Staying in the Fight

Voter trends in SLP's Municipal Election.

After the election, I got curious about who was voting in our municipal elections. I created a map based on the percentage of registered voters who voted in this election, and ranked the Precincts in order of highest turnout to lowest turnout. I then superimposed a map of the SLP Precincts over a map of SLP median household income by block group from 2022. See below for the results.

Figure 1: SLP Precincts Ranked by Voter Turnout (% of registered voters who voted) in the 2025 Municipal Election. Superimposed on Map of SLP Median Household Income, 2022.

In Ward 1, Precinct 1, 42.6% of registered voters voted in this election. In Ward 4, Precinct 10, 16.7% of registered voters voted in this election. Precinct 1 includes most of the St. Louis Park - Minneapolis Eruv, which is comprised of mostly single family homes. Precinct 10 includes West End, and many renters live in this area.

Minnesota Compass, a project of Wilder Research, has done interesting analyses of recent voter trends in Minnesota.

Renters and unmarried Minnesotans voted at lower rates in 2022. Higher-income and more highly educated Minnesotans voted at higher rates.

Our simple analysis follows the trends identified by Minnesota Compass. How can we engage more renters and unmarried people, as well as low-income and less-educated residents in municipal elections going forward?

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Staying in the fight.

One of my favorite local City Councilors, Katie Cashman, narrowly lost her campaign for re-election in Minneapolis's Ward 7 this November. Here are her tips for staying in the fight. I am especially inspired by number 3 and 4, regarding affordable housing and renter rights.

Ways to keep fighting for our communities:

1. Did you donate to fund those left food insecure by right wing greed? Please consider making a contribution to Joyce Food Shelf in Uptown so they can continue to support our low-income neighbors through the increased uncertainty they are facing following the government shutdown.

2. Were you inspired by the way Katie showed up for workers? You can become a more active participant in your union by volunteering or attending meetings—or if you don’t have a union, you can reach out to labor advocates like the Minneapolis AFL-CIO to learn how to get one started. You can also support groups like CTUL in their work to fight for and with underpaid and underappreciated workers across the Twin Cities.

3. Did you love how we fought unapologetically for more housing of all types in all neighborhoods? We recommend getting in touch with Neighbors for More Neighbors as a way to keep up the work to fill Minneapolis with more Minneapolitans. N4MN is working at both the state and local levels to advocate for policy that makes housing more plentiful and affordable. Sign up to volunteer and to get updates!

4. Do you want to keep fighting to hold bad landlords accountable? Check out a pro-renter group like Homeline, which provides free legal help and other resources to tenants throughout Minnesota. Or get in touch with groups like Renters United for Justice (IX) to start organizing your neighbors and advocate for yourselves when the law falls short.

5. Did you join the campaign because of the urgent need to address climate change and the effects it has on our city? Organizations like Move Minnesota and Our Streets are advocating for a transportation system that cleans up our air by going all-in on public transit, pedestrian, and bike infrastructure. And organizations like the Sierra Club work to help Minnesotans connect with our local environment while also advocating systemic change at the State Capitol and in municipalities across the state.

6. Are you concerned about the effects of this year’s election results on our immigrant communities? Organizations like MIRAC hold trainings and targeted protests to counter ICE and other anti-immigrant forces on the street and in the halls of power. You can also enroll in direct action trainings like those offered by the Minnesota AFL-CIO to learn how to stand up for your own rights and the rights of others in a safe and effective way.

7. Were you frustrated by the anti-democratic antics surrounding some of our DFL conventions this year? We need more people in leadership positions who are there to serve the best interests of the party and the people it represents, not just ultra-wealthy donors and political insiders. Sign up for next year’s DFL caucuses on February 3 to start the process of making our party work for working people again participate in the process of deciding the 2026 DFL endorsements.

Our friend and fellow 2025 SLP City Council Candidate, Sylvie Hyman, has also published her recommended action items to help you stay involved locally.

1. Adding a protected bike lane on Cedar Lake Rd in Minnetonka

Slowing cars down and adding protected infrastructure for non-drivers on Cedar Lake Road just West of HWY 169 is something Sylvie has been working on since early 2024. (Link to an article she wrote about it in Spring of 2025). This portion of Cedar Lake Road passes by many homes, small businesses, and three Hopkins Public Schools. The city of Minnetonka is planning a $4 Million construction project on the road but has no plans to lower the speed limit from 40 MPH or add meaningful protection for pedestrians and cyclists. We’re still working on shared messaging, but the plan is to overwhelm the city council and staff with messages supporting the inclusion of a protected bike lane into the plan. Mark your calendars for potential Minnetonka City Council meetings on November 24th and December 8th. 

2. SLP Parking Requirements

Parking requirements prevent us from using land more effectively to further our housing, environmental, sustainability, and small business goals. Sylvie is still working on clarifying what the proposal from the city planners means (page 109 of the November 10 City Council Packet), but she recently learned that the plan is to maintain most parking requirements in St. Louis Park. Minneapolis and St. Paul have both eliminated parking requirements, and the goal for environmental and housing advocates is to get them eliminated statewide. We can only do this if leader cities like SLP step up and set an example for other suburbs and exurbs. There is much more organizing work to be done on this, and we can use lots of help. Get in touch with Sylvie here: sylviehymanslp@gmail.com

See you out there!

Sarah