Election Day was shaping up to be a pretty typical one for an odd-year contest when only local races, like city council, school board and some tax issues are on the ballot.
Election workers and traffic at Twin Cities polling places Tuesday suggested turnout was modest, but there was interest in some key races, especially in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Martin Luther King Jr. Park gym in south Minneapolis was the busiest polling place in the city Tuesday morning with more than 450 voters casting ballots by 9 a.m., city spokesman Casper Hill said.
But Weisman Museum, a polling location for the Second Ward on the University of Minnesota campus, had only seen five voters by noon — during last year's midterms about 600 people cast ballots there.
All City Council seats in Minneapolis and St. Paul are on the ballot. In Minneapolis, 38 candidates are vying for 13 seats, and 30 are in the race for seven seats in St. Paul.
There are also competitive mayoral and council races across the state, including in Bloomington, Duluth, Minnetonka and St. Anthony.
Public safety, housing costs and city infrastructure have been the focus of campaigns in both the Twin Cities.