Gov. Walz casts vote for Harris, against St. Paul free childcare tax

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz officially cast his vote on Wednesday, telling reporters he both voted for Kamala Harris for president, and backed St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s stance against a childcare tax levy.

Walz votes early in Minnesota

Walz arrived around 9:30 a.m. to cast his ballot at a Ramsey County elections office.

Alongside his wife Gwen and son Gus, Walz acknowledged it was the 18-year-old's first time voting after his birthday on Oct. 13. Walz stood with Gus as they fed their ballots into a voting machine, sharing a high-five once they were submitted.

When speaking with reporters, Walz also noted he voted for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Betty McCullum, who are both Democrats.

Walz said the moment was, "An exciting opportunity to turn the page on the chaos of former president Donald Trump."

St. Paul childcare tax

When asked how he voted on a St. Paul childcare referendum, Walz didn’t respond directly except to say he followed the advice of St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who has previously said he would not implement the proposal if it passed.

"I took my advice from Mayor Carter, and will listen to him," Walz said.

In August 2023, the St. Paul City Council voted to approve a ballot measure to go before voters that would ultimately provide an estimated $20 million to fund free childcare for children whose families make less than 185% of the federal poverty level, or about $55,500 annually.

Carter vetoed the proposal, saying he had "no other choice" after his team went over the numbers, and couldn’t make the finances make sense.

Although there wasn’t a fiscal analysis conducted, Carter said the entire cost would approach a minimum of $111 million annually – $81 million for fully funding childcare for families under the poverty level, $20 million for partially funding childcare for families earning more, and $10 million for administrative costs.

The city council then voted 5-2 to override Carter’s veto, and send the issue to voters this November.

In September, the St. Paul Federation of Educators – which represents thousands of teachers throughout St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) – said its union members do not support the measure, at the time saying it, "would require St. Paul taxpayers to fund yet another voucher program, moving more public dollars to private and for-profit child care providers with no plan."