Voter Guide Process

Here’s how we gathered the information on candidates and graded their answers.

Minnesota Youth Collective developed a candidate questionnaire based on our values, and sent it out to the 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). A sample of the questions we sent can be found at the end of this guide.

Candidate questionnaires were graded on a rubric of Minnesota Youth Collective’s values. They received points for demonstrating similar values, but no points were removed for non-aligned answers. Here is the rubric:

• 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)

In total, 13 candidates answered the questionnaire. Their responses are included below, 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.