By LINDSEY FENNER
The Phillips Community is split between two wards – 6 and 9. Ward 6 includes Phillips West and Ventura Village in Phillips, as well as neighborhoods to the north, east, and west: parts of Cedar-Riverside, Elliot Park, Seward, and Stevens Square. Ward 9 includes East Phillips and Midtown Phillips, as well as neighborhoods to the south: Corcoran, Powderhorn Park, Central and parts of Longfellow. Ward 6 has 4 precincts in Phillips and Ward 9 has 2 precincts in Phillips (see map of the six precincts in the Phillips community)
Charter Questions: Breaking down the charter amendment votes at the precinct level, Phillips voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of Question 3, which authorizes the City Council to enact a rent control ordinance. All six Phillips precincts voted against Question 2, which would have created a city Department of Public Safety. Precincts in Ward 6 all voted strongly against Question 2, whereas precincts 9-3 and 9-4 in Phillips saw a much more evenly divided vote, with 51.57% voting no in 9-3 and 52.81% voting no in 9-4. Phillips voters were split on Question 1, the Government Structure Amendment. Four Phillips precincts voted against the so-called “Strong Mayor” amendment: 6-6, 6-8, 9-3, and 9-4. The Yes and No votes in Precincts 6-6 and 9-4 were separated by less than one percentage point.
Mayor: In the mayoral election, incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey had the most first round votes in all Phillips precincts, though he didn’t receive a majority in any precinct. Kate Knuth had few first choice votes, but consistently did well on second choice votes. AJ Awed did well in Ward 6 Phillips precincts.
Voter Turnout: City elections typically have much lower voter turnout than national or state elections, and this election year was no different. The citywide voter turnout in the 2020 general election was 81.3%. Citywide voter turnout for the 2021 city election was 54%.
Both Wards 6 and 9 had lower voter turnout than the city as a whole: 43.5% in Ward 6 and 49.5% in Ward 9. Although the preliminary voter turnout in Minneapolis as a whole was higher in 2021 when compared to the last city election in 2017, turnout actually went down in Ward 6, and was only slightly up in the two Ward 9 precincts in Phillips.
Election Data from the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Secretary of State
Do you wish this article had more maps, tables, charts, and graphs? So do we! If you’re into data visualization and you’d like to occasionally volunteer your skills to the alley, email copydesk@alleynews.org
