The St. Paul charter currently mandates that city elections occur on odd years, but a question on the November ballot might change that.

St. Paul voters will decide if city elections should move from odd to even years in a ballot question in the November election.

The change could increase voter turnout and save the city money, according to Peter Butler, a member of the petition effort to get the question on the ballot. 

According to Butler, the odd-year city elections result in only one-third of registered voters voting. 

“Usually when you have an incumbent mayor running, there is even less turnout (for city elections),” Butler said. “(Turnout) can be two to three times higher in a presidential year.”

The change would also save the city money, as it costs about $1 million to hold an election, Butler said.

A team of six people acquired most of the 5,500 signatures required to petition the question for the November ballot, Butler said. 

“I was involved in an earlier effort seven years ago,” Butler said. “We didn’t have enough signatures, so we started again.”

Butler said he believes people will vote “yes” on the question because people will think about how this change would affect them personally.

“I think the question itself is self-explanatory,” Butler said. “I think people will say, ‘This is very convenient, this makes it easier for people to vote.’” 

With the question on the November ballot alongside the presidential ticket, the question will reach more voters who do not typically participate in city elections, Butler said.

“Many people who are voting this November typically do not vote in odd-year elections, so the very people we want to have participating in our city elections are voting on this question,” Butler said. 

However, not everyone supports this proposed change. St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali (Ward 4) posted on X in August that she opposes the move to even-year elections because it could take voters’ focus away from important city issues.

Jalali said in the post that passing this question could increase the need for transportation and voter education work to make sure marginalized communities understand the change and have voting access.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter echoed a similar sentiment in a statement to the Minnesota Daily. Carter said local issues would have to compete with national issues for voters’ attention. 

“Local issues have the most immediate impact on our lives, but often garner the least attention,” Carter said in the statement. “While I am concerned that critical issues like neighborhood safety, trash collection and street maintenance cannot compete with the clamor of a national campaign cycle, the city will follow the will of the voters with regard to this ballot measure.”

According to Butler, similar ballot questions have passed without much campaigning in other cities throughout the country.

“I don’t think there really are any negative consequences,” Butler said.