What's on my ballot in MN: Important races, ballot questions

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(FOX 9) - While most of the talk has been about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump this election cycle, there are some key races Minnesotans will be watching down the ballot.

Let's look at some of the important items that will be on your ballot come Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Presidential race

Kamala Harris (D)
Donald Trump (GOP)
Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat (Libertarian Party)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan (We the People)
Jill Stein and Samson Kpadenou (Green Party)
Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia (Socialism and Liberation)
Rachele Fruit and Dennis Richter (Socialist Workers Party)
Cornel West and Melina Abdullah (Justice for All)
Shiva Ayyadurai and Crystal Ellis (Independent)

Senate races

One of Minnesota's Senate seats is up for election this year.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, is facing Republican and former Gophers basketball star Royce White in the race for the seat. Independent Joyce Lacey and Libertarian Rebecca Whiting have both also earned spots on the ballot.

However, recent polls show Klobuchar with a double-digit lead in the contest.

House races

Minnesota's closest Congressional race will likely be Rep. Angie Craig's matchup with Republican challenger Joe Teirab, a former prosecutor, in the state's Second Congressional District.

Craig's district, which saw redistricting in 2023, covers the south metro and stretches south to near Mankato and Faribault. Historically, the electorate has been fairly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. FiveThirtyEight's analysis shows the district makeup hasn't changed much under redistricting, holding a "highly competitive" designation with only a slight DFL lean.

Other House races include:

(Note: The first candidate listed is the incumbent unless otherwise stated)

District 1 (Southern Minnesota):

Brad Finstad (GOP)
Rachel Bohman (D)

District 3 (Parts of the west Twin Cities metro):

Kelly Morrison (D) (Incumbent Dean Phillips opted not to run for re-election)
Tad Jude (GOP)

District 4 (St. Paul, parts of north and east Twin Cities metro):

Betty McCollum (D)
May Lor Xiong (GOP)

District 5 (Minneapolis, parts of north and west Twin Cities metro):

Ilhan Omar (D)
Dalia al-Aqidi (GOP)

District 6 (Saint Cloud, areas north and west of Twin Cities):

Tom Emmer (GOP)
Jeanne Hendricks (D)

District 7 (western Minnesota):

Michelle Fischbach (GOP)
A. John Peters (D)

District 8 (northeast Minnesota):

Pete Stauber (GOP)
Jennifer Schultz (D)

Minnesota Senate special election

In 2022, the DFL picked up enough seats in the Minnesota Senate to control both chambers of the Legislature.

The sole Minnesota Senate race in 2024 will be for the District 45 seat left vacant by the resignation of Sen. Kelly Morrison, who is running for Dean Phillips' spot in Congress. It's a special election race.

The candidates running for the seat are:

Ann Johnson Stewart (DFL)
Kathleen Fowke (GOP)

Fowke ran in 2022 for the same seat but lost by 12 points to Morrison. Redistricting has changed the district makeup. District 45 used to cover Crystal and parts of Golden Valley. The district now covers the Lake Minnetonka area. Still, however, the district is expected to lean heavily in favor of Democrats.

Stewart was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 2020, representing District 44.

Minnesota House races

Like the federal races, Minnesota House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years.

At the same time, Democrats at the national level announced earlier in September that they were pouring money into 13 "spotlight" House races in Minnesota:

District 3A (Far north and northeast Minnesota)

Roger Skraba (GOP)
Harley Droba (DFL)
Rich Tru (Forward Party)

District 3B (St. Louis County area)

Natalie Zeleznikar (GOP)
Mark Munger (DFL)

District 14A (St. Cloud area)

Bernie Perryman (GOP)
Abdi Daisane (DFL)

District 14B (St. Cloud and Benton County area)

Dan Wolgamott (DFL)
Sue Ek (GOP)

District 18A (Northeast Blue Earth County)

Jeff Brand (DFL)
Erica Schwartz (GOP)

District 32B (Blaine)

Matt Norris (DFL)
Alex Moe (GOP)

District 35A (Coon Rapids area)

Zack Stephenson (DFL)
Josh Jungling (GOP)

District 35B (Coon Rapids area)

Kari Rehrauer (DFL)
Steve Pape (GOP)

District 36A (Lino Lakes, Circle Pines, White Bear Township)

Elliott Engen (GOP)
Janelle Calhoun (DFL)

District 41A (Afton, Lake Elmo)

Lucia Wroblewski (DFL)
Wayne Johnson (GOP)

District 41B (Hastings, Cottage Grove)

Jen Fox (DFL)
Tom Dippel (GOP)

District 48B (Chaska, Chanhassen)

Lucy Dehm (DFL)
Caleb Steffenhagen (GOP)

District 54A (Shakopee)

Brad Tabke (DFL)
Aaron Paul (GOP)

Statewide ballot question

Along with the races, Minnesota voters will get to decide on a ballot question this year. The question on this year's ballot relates to a proposed amendment to the state constitution.

Essentially, the amendment is looking to codify the use of lottery funds to the Environment and Natural Resources Fund, which supports state conservation projects.

Amendment 1 reads: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to protect drinking water sources and the water quality of lakes, rivers, and streams; conserve wildlife habitat and natural areas; improve air quality; and expand access to parks and trails by extending the transfer of proceeds from the state-operated lottery to the environment and natural resources trust fund, and to dedicate the proceeds for these purposes?"

Other major races in Minnesota

Minneapolis

Four school board seats are on the ballot in Minneapolis, but two are running unopposed: Sharon El-Amin in District 2 and Adriana Cerrillo in District 4.

At-large school board

Kim Ellison
Shayla Owodunni

District 6 school board (Incumbent Ira Jourdain is not running for re-election)

Lara Bergman
Greta Callahan

Voters will also decide on a school district question that would increase the district tax levy to pay for technology-related expenses.

St. Paul

St. Paul voters will weigh two ballot questions:

Should the city authorize a property tax levy to pay for early learning subsidies for low-income families?
Should the city move elections for mayor and city council to presidential election years?

Anoka

A ballot question in Anoka asks residents whether the city should implement a residential solid waste, recycling, and yard waste collection system.

Bloomington

Bloomington voters will decide on whether to repeal ranked-choice voting for local elections.

Rochester

Voters in Rochester will decide on a $19 million school funding referendum on Nov. 5, along with electing the next president. The measure aims to prevent school closures and staff cuts but would raise property taxes, a tough sell for some residents. If approved, property taxes on a $350,000 home would rise by $29 per month.

St. Cloud

In St. Cloud, the city's mayor and three council seats are both on the ballot.

Longtime St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis announced in April he wouldn't seek re-election, after serving the city for nearly two decades. Mike Conway and Jake Anderson are both running to fill the seat.

For the city council, there are six candidates on the ballot for three at-large seats:

Omar Abdullahi Podi
George Hontos
Scott Brodeen
Mark Johnson
Hudda Ibrahim
Tami Calhoun

There are also two ballot questions for St. Cloud residents:

Question 1: Authorizing $43.5 million in bonds to pay for building a new fire station and other public safety improvements.
Question 2: Changing the city charter to move mayoral and city council elections to odd-numbered years, starting in 2029.