Minnesota voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution so that a larger share of the Permanent School Fund's three-year average goes to public schools each year. The change would lift the per-pupil allotment from roughly $68 to about $101, adding an estimated $1 million annually to both the Minneapolis and St. Paul districts.
Minneapolis voters will choose at least three new school board members, including two at-large seats contested by incumbent Collin Beachy and three newcomers. Abdul Abdi faces Ben Lattimore in District 1, Molly Chase faces Becca Dryden in District 5, and Shannon Gibney runs unopposed in District 3.
Hennepin County voters are choosing between DFL state Rep. Cedrick Frazier and former federal prosecutor Anders Folk for county attorney, with live results updated through the evening. The winner will lead an office with more than 500 staff and an annual budget above $92 million that prosecutes felony, juvenile and some civil cases.
Minnesota voters are choosing between DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth for governor; either would be the state's first female governor, and Demuth its first Black governor. Both stress fraud-prevention plans, and the federal Operation Metro Surge is expected to affect the race.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and community organizers outlined how to vote safely in the midterms, saying ICE and other law enforcement cannot be at polling places unless invited by election judges. Simon called Minnesota's system secure and said federal charges against 10 non-citizen voters amount to a tiny fraction of 8.5 million votes cast.
Legal experts say an 18-year-old charged with plotting a Mall of America shooting faces long odds, though his age when the FBI probe began, an entrapment argument and his father's claims of undiagnosed developmental delays could shape a defense. The piece also explains how FBI counterterrorism stings work.
Make Voting a Tradition, an initiative of NACDI, rallied Native voters at Little Earth in south Minneapolis to vote early, with urgency heightened by Operation Metro Surge's impact on Native residents. Volunteers and residents describe voting as a way to protect neighbors and communities.
With the November 3 midterms approaching, voters can verify their registration through official state election sites reached via USA.gov. Minnesota residents who missed the October 13 deadline can still register in person with proof of residence, and polls close at 8 PM.
After organizing young voters for Omar Fateh's Minneapolis mayoral run, Arshia Hussain and Yusra Mohamud founded the Baddies 4 Progress PAC to back progressive candidates statewide. They plan to fundraise for local campaigns ahead of 2028 and have drawn both enthusiasm and criticism.
— via Sahan Journal, Binta Kanteh
Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth's ad on "Somali gangs" has drawn accusations of racism from a Minneapolis imam and a University of Minnesota political scientist, who calls it an implicit racial appeal. A Somali Republican activist defends it as simply stating facts.
— via Sahan Journal, Joey Peters
Zong Yang, arrested during Operation Metro Surge and deported to Laos in May, now helps parent his five sons in South St. Paul through daily Ring camera calls. His wife Linda manages work, school and childcare alone, and they plan a December reunion in Laos.
— via Sahan Journal, Katelyn Vue
Ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm, Twin Cities shelters including Catholic Charities and People Serving People are educating unhoused residents about voting rights, hosting early voting events, and having staff vouch for residents at polling places on Election Day.
— via Sahan Journal, Katrina Pross
A Minneapolis school board candidate who is writing a master's thesis on school-issued devices says the research shows Chromebooks and iPads hurt learning, and he wants fewer of them in classrooms. Ben Lattimore, a substitute teacher with a business background, argues that cutting screen time would lift math and reading scores and win back families.
— via Sahan Journal, Becky Z. Dernbach
St. Paul Public Schools has 542 fewer English learners than it projected, a gap worth $4.9 million in lost revenue, and the school board votes Tuesday on cutting about 16 English language teachers midyear. The district has lost roughly one in eight English learners since March 2025, and the union estimates 75% of schools would be affected.
— via Sahan Journal, Becky Z. Dernbach
More than 40 law enforcement agencies are teaming up to go after gun violence they tie to groups of Somali youth, after a homecoming game shooting that injured two and a Bloomington scene with nearly 100 shell casings. Officials say local agencies had struggled to share intelligence across jurisdictions, and they're urging the public not to blame the wider Somali community.
— via Sahan Journal, Mohamed Ibrahim
Alberta votes today on starting a path toward independence, and a new Ipsos poll has 70% of residents planning to stay in Canada against 23% for the separatist option. A separate Angus Reid survey found that 60% of those backing the process say they mainly want to send Ottawa a message, while 37% name independence as their goal.
— via Southwest Journal, Nebojša Vujinović
Fourteen live shows in 16 days turn war, family trauma and climate dread into stage and gallery art across the Twin Cities. A dance-theater retelling of a 12th-century war poem shares the Crane Theater bill with a teen ghost story, while a St. Paul gallery makes climate anxiety public art.
— via Sahan Journal, Myah Goff
A missed interview notice sent to an old mailbox cost one Ethiopian refugee his legal status in Minnesota. Attorneys say it's part of a federal sweep pushing vetted refugees into an asylum system already buckling under backlogs.
— via Sahan Journal, Nicolas Scibelli
Trump told Minnesotans to "fight back" against Somali immigrants, and residents say the "green light" is already fueling fear. Elders and hijab-wearing women now avoid leaving home, even as some suspect the timing of a federal raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar is tied to her reelection bid.
— via Sahan Journal, Katelyn Vue
A Maplewood councilman who once dreamed of just living there topped the mayoral primary with 44% of the vote, outraising the incumbent $29,000 to $1,300. He could become the city's first Hmong mayor in a community where one in five residents is Hmong.
— via Sahan Journal, Valentina Contreras
