Candidate Questionnaire
Below is the questionnaire we sent to candidate. The candidate questionnaire was developed based on our organizational values and issues, so you’ll see questions related to issues like housing, voter rights, and abolition and public safety. We sent out the questionnaire to candidates for Ward 3, Ward 5, Ward 9, Ward 10, and Mayor in mid-May (no candidates who have registered since then were included). These districts have the highest proportion of young people throughout Minneapolis, so we prioritized them. Candidates were emailed about the questionnaire and given three weeks to complete it (they all also received multiple reminders before we closed the questionnaire for responses).
Section 1: campaign practices & Accountability
Please answer the following questions in 150 words or less. Any words over 150 will not be considered as part of your answer.
If elected, how do you plan on being accountable to your constituents? Please emphasize ways in which marginalized and oppressed people who have been neglected in the past will be a part of your accountability plan.
How are young people included in your campaign, and how will they be included in your decisions if elected?
How would you describe your relationship with mass movement work and non-violent direct action? If you are elected, what will you do to try to protect people who organize and participate in this work?
Last summer in Minneapolis, Uprisings occurred in response to the murder of George Floyd and against state-sanctioned violence and militarized, white supremacist police. How have the events of last summer impacted your leadership and relationship to your community? If you were involved in any way, we would love to hear about it.
Section 2: Values & Leadership
Please answer each of the following Yes or No questions. For any question you answer yes, please describe beneath it the level of leadership you are willing to take on the issue (select all that apply).
If candidates selected “yes” for any question, they would be given the following options for the degree of leadership they plan to take on the issue: I will be a lead author; I will co-author; I will vote in support; I will publicly support. If they selected “no,” they moved on to the next question without seeing options for leadership.
Do you support utilizing vacant units, both private and public, as housing for the city’s neglected unhoused community?
Do you support using city and/or municipal funding to increase the amount of available public housing?
Do you support using city and/or county resources to increase the amount of available affordable housing?
Do you believe that the statewide ban on rent control, which affects poor Black and Brown communities the most, needs to be lifted as soon as possible?
Do you support a community-led and -written ordinance that will restrict rent increases?
Do you support decriminalization of sex work?
Do you have a plan to respect tribal sovereignty while engaging with and fully representing Indigenous people and communities?
Do you have a plan to decrease the amount of surveillance present in predominantly Black and Brown communities in Minneapolis?
Would you join in and publicly support restoring the right to vote for those who are currently or were previously incarcerated?
Do you support automatic voter registration once Minnesotans reach 18?
Do you have a plan to address the public health concerns Black and Brown communities face? (For example, a lack of accessible clinics and resources.)
Will you work with the county to attempt to cut ties with ICE and other “immigration control agents”?
Do you have a plan to create more access points for public transportation in low-income communities?
Do you support a mandate for landlords in the city to update rental properties to be environmentally sustainable?
Do you have a plan to make public transportation and public areas more accessible to those with disabilities?
Do you support the abolition of police and the prison industrial complex, without replacing policing with private entities?
Do you support community control over police officers and public safety officers, including democratic review boards with decision-making authority?
Do you support de-militarization of the police?
Do you support defunding the Minneapolis Police Department in favor of a community-led Department of Public Safety to uphold community safety?
Within your issue platform, do you have plans to address and create solutions for the disproportionate impacts these issues have on the Trans community?
Section 3: Community Relationships
Please answer the following questions in 150 words or less. Any words over 150 will not be considered as part of your answer.
When you began considering running for office, who did you speak with who helped inform your decision to run? What motivated you most in deciding to run for office?
Why is your campaign more capable of reaching and connecting with voters, and why are you more able to represent your ward than other candidates in the race?
Please feel free to tell us anything else you would like us to know here.
Grading
Candidate questionnaires were graded based on their alignment with Minnesota Youth Collective’s values. For the values-based questions, candidates received one point each for “yes” answers and indicating a willingness to demonstrate leadership, and no points for “no” answers and not demonstrating leadership. For the long-answer questions, our staff created a list of words and phrases that we felt represented the behaviors and beliefs we want to see in a representative. Candidate answers were graded based on the degree to which their answer included similar ideas. They received points for demonstrating similar values, but no points were removed for non-aligned answers.
Here is the rubric:
0 — Did not complete questionnaire
1 — No values aligned
2 — Very few values aligned
3 — Some values aligned
4 — Most values aligned
5 — All values aligned (no candidates received a 5)
Ratings are not endorsements.
About the Candidates
In total, 13 candidates answered the questionnaire. Their responses are included here, listed by race and last name. Candidates who did not respond are listed, so you can do your own research on them, but we’d encourage you to think about how well a candidate will represent you if they are unwilling or unable to answer a short questionnaire from the Twin Cities’ premier youth civic engagement organization (or if they didn't file until June). In general, we encourage you to use this voter guide as a starting point for future research on candidates, and to help you make an informed decision at the ballot box. Is your race not included here? Find a full list of candidates to research here.