Step 1: Choose an office

There are many local offices with different responsibilities and potential impacts. They are also elected in different years. Below is a list of some of those offices.

• Ward council member – Represents an area of the city called a ward on the city council. Ward council members live in and are elected by eligible voters who live in their ward. There are four wards in St. Louis Park. Ward council member offices will be on the ballot in 2025, and they are elected to four-year terms using the ranked-choice voting method.
  
  
• At large council member and mayor – Represents the whole city on the city council. They can live anywhere in the city and are elected by all eligible voters in the city. There are two at large council members, who serve separately as the A and B members. The mayor, in addition to serving on the council as a voting member, also performs ceremonial and official duties on behalf of the city. These offices were last elected in 2019, and the incumbents serve four-year terms. The next election for at large council members and the mayor is in 2023, and they will be elected using the ranked-choice voting method.
  
  
• School board member – Represents a school district as a member of the school board. School board members live in and are elected by eligible voters who live in their school district. They are elected to four-year terms using the traditional method of voting in which the candidates receiving the most votes are elected. School board offices are not elected using ranked-choice voting. Terms are staggered so that half the members of the board are elected to every two years. You may file with the City of St. Louis Park to run for ISD 283 (St. Louis Park Public Schools) school board member. If you live in either the Hopkins or Edina school district, you should contact your district for filing information.
  
  
• Other offices – Elected in even year elections, with the next in 2022, these offices can include state representative, senator, county offices like commissioner or attorney, or even federal offices like representative, senator or president. Candidate filing for these offices are administered by either Hennepin County elections or the Secretary of State of Minnesota.

Step 2: Know your district

Depending on the office you want to run for, you may represent a ward, school district or a whole city. Each have geographic boundaries, and there are limits on which offices you can run for depending on where you live.

If you live in a particular ward and would like to serve on the city council, you should first find out which ward you live in. If you plan to run to be a school board member, pay special attention to the boundaries of those districts because they are different from city, ward and legislative districts.

You can request a paper copy of a district map from the city. The first map is free, and additional copies can be provided at cost within a reasonable limit.

Step 3: Request a candidate toolkit

The City of St. Louis Park offers kits to candidates who file for local office. These include educational material on the ranked-choice voting system designed and produced by the City of St. Louis Park and forms needed to administer a campaign. They do not include any promotional material.

The contents of the kits can also be downloaded piece by piece if you only need certain parts or want to avoid printed copies. View the toolkit section of the main become a candidate page for all the documents.

Step 4: Collect signatures and prepare to file

To become a candidate on the ballot for a municipal office (mayor or city council), you will need to file a nominating petition with the City of St. Louis Park. For seats on the city council, you will need to collect 50 signatures from eligible (registered) voters in the district you plan to run in who have not already signed a petition for another candidate. This can only be done during the filing period. Keep signatures neat and legible since they will need to be verified by local election officials to ensure your petition is valid. Another best practice is to collect more than the required number of signatures in case some of them are found to be ineligible.

You will also need to fill out an affidavit of candidacy. This is a one-page form that collects basic information, as well as information on your name as it will appear on the ballot and the name of the person who will act as your campaign treasurer for the purposes of campaign finance reporting.

A committee or a candidate must submit an initial campaign finance report to the city clerk within 14 days after the candidate or committee receives or spends more than $750 in a year they are a candidate. This means whenever you collect or spend $750, your first report is due. After that, you need to file regular reports on the following schedule:

• Oct. 28, 2023 – a report needs to be filed 10 days before the general election
• Nov. 14, 2023 – certification of filing due
• Dec. 7, 2023 – a report needs to be filed 30 days after the general election
• Jan. 31, 2024 – a report needs to be filed by Jan. 31 of each year unless a final report has been filed
• Final report – due after candidate has settled all debts and disposed of all assets in excess of $100

Step 5: File for office

Candidate filing for city council and school district offices (ISD No. 283 school board member) is now closed.

Learn more about how to file for office under "how to file for office section" the of the main become a candidate page.

Any person may be a candidate for a city office if they are:

• Eligible to vote in Minnesota
• At least 21 years old upon assuming office
• Not a candidate for another office in the upcoming election
• A St. Louis Park resident at least 30 days before the general election

Any person may be a candidate for a school district office if they are:

• Eligible to vote in Minnesota
• At least 21 years old upon assuming office
• Not a candidate for another office in the upcoming election
• A St. Louis Park school district resident at least 30 days before the general election
• Must have not been convicted of an offense for which they are required to register as a predatory offender under Minnesota Statutes 243.166

For additional requirements for other offices, refer to the Secretary of State's website.

Filing for office of council member 

To file for office, you must:

• Complete an affidavit of candidacy*
• Pay the $20 filing fee
• File a nominating petition signed by at least 50 registered voters qualified to vote for the office who have not signed another petition for the same office

*Please note: It is recommended to fill out an affidavit at St. Louis Park City Hall with election staff. Under newly adopted laws a candidate may declare their residential address as private information by submitting an additional form. Election staff can answer questions on this form when you file. 

Filing for offices of school board

To file for office, you must:

• Complete an affidavit of candidacy
• Pay the $2 filing fee

The above requirements for filing must all be done during the filing period, which is Aug. 1 – Aug. 15, 2023.

Candidates are allowed to withdraw their filing and remove their name from a ballot during the withdrawal period. The withdrawal period was Aug. 16 – 17, 2023 by 5 p.m. To withdraw, you must file an affidavit of withdrawal with the city clerk’s office.

Once the withdrawal period has ended, a candidate’s name can't be removed from a ballot.

Candidate workshop sessions were held in May and June 2021. Each session was recorded and can be viewed below.

Part 1: Filing for office

Part 2: Ranked-choice voting

Part 3: Campaign financing

Affidavit of candidacy

A form created by the State of Minnesota that is required to complete in order to be a candidate. This term means a sworn statement of your intention to be a candidate for this office.

Nominating petition

A requirement of the city charter that is essentially a list of names, addresses and signatures. You must collect a minimum of 50 signatures from people who are eligible to vote for the office. You must use the form provided by the city.

Here are some tips to make sure it is filled out correctly.

• Be sure each name and address are legible and can be read by election staff.
• Each entry must be verified by election staff to make sure they are a registered voter in that district.
• Collect more signatures than you need. If some turn out to not be eligible, the extra signatures can be used to meet the requirement of 50 signatures.
• A person may only sign one petition for each office they are eligible to vote for. If they signed for another candidate running for the same office, then they can't sign your petition.

File for office

The process to become a candidate for an office. File a paper declaring your intention to the local government to be on a ballot. The city clerk takes this paperwork and uses it to prepare ballots for the election and make sure you meet the requirements to be a candidate.

District

The area a candidate would represent in office. This can be a ward or school district, or can be a city or state.

Incumbent

The person currently appointed to a certain office. They remain in office until their terms is completed after Election Day. If they are re-elected to that office, they continue to be the incumbent of that office for another term.

Office

An elected position like a council member or mayor. This is called an office because a person temporarily fulfills those required duties during their elected term, but the office remains and can be filled with someone else after their term is over.