Voter turnout light at McNeely Hall

<p>Voting boots sat empty this morning in McNeely Hall. (Aaron Hays/TommieMedia)</p>
Voting booths sat empty this morning in McNeely Hall. (Aaron Hays/TommieMedia)

Voters in Minnesota’s two largest cities today are deciding whether to keep their mayors or choose new ones. Incumbents R.T. Rybak and Chris Coleman, both Democrats, are seeking re-election.

However, in St. Paul, voter turnout at the McNeely Hall precinct has been slow. Registration judge Rick Simmer said as of 10:20 a.m., 41 people had cast their vote, which is significantly lower than last year. Simmer, who has been a registration judge for five years, said last year’s presidential election turnout was the busiest the precinct had been in seven years.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is up against businesswoman Eva Ng, who is endorsed by Republicans.

Mayor R.T. Rybak faces 10 challengers in the first test of instant runoff voting in Minneapolis.

Voters get to rank their preferences for city offices. Candidates who surpass 50 percent of the vote win their race outright. If no candidate surpasses 50 percent, the system triggers an “instant runoff.” The bottom candidate is eliminated and second and then third choices are awarded to the top finishers until one exceeds 50 percent.