Why Minneapolis took longer to count ballots than St. Paul

St. Paul voters learned of their new mayor, state Rep. Kaohly Her, shortly after midnight, while Minneapolis residents waited until midday Wednesday to confirm Mayor Jacob Frey's re-election. The discrepancy in reporting times is primarily due to St. Paul utilizing electronic ranked-choice tabulation software, enabling faster results.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis's election process requires manual intervention as dictated by city ordinance, delaying the announcement. Minneapolis officials depend on Hennepin County to produce a file summarizing voter choices, which arrived at around 8:30 a. m. Wednesday. The city then must conduct a detailed manual process, including counting write-in votes and reallocating ranked-choice votes.

This method can take hours, with validation checks between teams ensuring accuracy. The differences highlight how local ordinances and technology impact the speed of election results. Discussions are ongoing about updating Minneapolis's ordinance to potentially use the same electronic software as St. Paul.