Polls for St. Paul’s mayoral and school board elections will be open for voters to place ballots Tuesday from 7 a.m.to 8 p.m.

Students can find their polling place by entering their address here.

Students who aren’t registered to vote can register at their designated polling place on Election Day by bringing a proof of residence, such as a lease or a registered voter from your precinct who can confirm your address.

Voters will have the option to rank up to six candidates for mayor and will place ballots based on ranked-choice voting. This means voters pick multiple candidates for office by filling out their ballot according to their preferences.

A candidate must win the absolute majority, which is 50 percent of first-choice votes and one additional vote.

If no candidate reaches the majority on Election Day, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. That candidate’s votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the voter’s next highest choice. This process is repeated continues until a majority is declared.

The Star Tribune explains the ranking system with an animation here.

With this system of voting, the possible combinations of ballot rankings increases exponentially with more candidates, the Star Tribune reports.

The Minneapolis mayoral election has 16 candidates on the ballot this year. Without considering a single write-in, there are still 3,120 possible rankings. Minneapolis will use an electronic system to determine the winner. However, in the case of a recount, the tally must be performed by hand, according to the Office of Minnesota Secretary Steve Simon.

However, determining a winner from the 10 St. Paul candidates may take longer because election officials are not using an electronic system. The Star Tribune reported the final results are not expected until this Saturday.

The following are the contenders for the St. Paul mayoral election:

Barnabas Joshua Y’Shua says it was the Lord’s plan for him to run for mayor. Y’Shua is focused on helping others however he can. He resides at Union Gospel Mission, a men’s shelter in St. Paul.

Trahern Crews is running as an Independent in the election, but works as the spokesman for St. Paul’s Green Party. Crews runs an organization called Original Man Farms, which teaches youth about sustainability and growing food. The organization is currently partnered with a Better Road Foundation, which focuses on violence prevention and homelessness. He ran for Minneapolis City Council in 2015. Crews’ platform focuses on working with youth and issues like homelessness, sustainability, urban farming and income disparity, according to KARE-TV.

Democrat Pat Harris has served on the St. Paul City Council for 12 years. Harris has received notable endorsements from St. Paul Police Federation, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and the Teamsters, among others. His platform focuses on public safety, protecting the rights of new Americans, addressing homelessness and creating responsible and innovative city budgets. Harris has served on many community boards, such as Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and the Minnesota Children’s Museum. He founded Serving Our Troops, a nationally recognized effort to support soldiers and families of the Minnesota National Guard.

Independent candidate Tim Holden is a self-employed contractor and licensed realtor. He ran against Chris Coleman in the 2013 mayoral race. Holden has volunteered at the Union Gospel Mission and is a certified Peace Officer. His platform focuses on commerce and improving the quality of life in the cities, specifically with education, jobs and infrastructure.

Melvin Carter III is a democrat and a St. Paul City council member from 2008 to 2013. His platform focuses on police reform in neighborhoods, the city budget and investment in local businesses and the city’s transportation, and improved early childhood education. Carter has notable endorsements from Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and Minnesota State Rep. Ilhan Omar, among others. Carter currently serves as executive director of the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet.

Elizabeth Dickinson of the Green Party has worked as a Healthy Legacy Advocate, an organizer for the Minnesota Association for Nonsmokers, a counselor and a substitute teacher. She founded the Clean Energy Now coalition that pressured Xcel Energy to transform local coal burning utilities to gas. Dickinson is a national board member for Clean Water Action, Community Power Minnesota and a member of the West Side Citizens Organization board. She ran for St. Paul City Council in 2003 and for St. Paul Mayor in 2005 as a Green Party-endorsed candidate. Her platform focuses on community policing, housing policy changes and jobs and economic development, including passing a $15 minimum wage ordinance. Dickinson has notable endorsements from Women Winning, Sierra Club North Star Chapter and Clean Water Action.

Democrat Dai Thao was born in war-torn Laos and came to Minnesota as a refugee. He works as the information technology manager for the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and was elected to the city council in 2013. His platform focuses on protecting people, promoting equity across neighborhoods and cutting property taxes. Thao also plans to improve community infrastructure like parks, libraries and recreation centers. He serves on the St. Paul Library Board, the Family Housing Fund and the St. Paul Port Authority, among others. Thao has notable endorsements from Take Action MN, Minnesota Nurses Association, DFL Disability Caucus and AFSCME Local 8.

Chris Holbrook is a member of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota and was elected as chair of the party earlier this year. He has spent his career in the wholesale building products industry and is a senior sales leader for a distributor in Lakeville. His platform focuses on lowering property taxes to, in turn, reduce gun violence. He also supports after-school programs for youth.

Democrat Tom Goldstein is an entrepreneur and business owner. Goldstein served on the St. Paul School Board in 2005. He founded the Sports Collection retail store at Grand and Hamline Avenues. Recently, he worked as a voter protection coordinator with Obama for America and the DFL Party. His platform focuses on job creation, increasing access to affordable housing options, alternative energy solutions, and transparency in government. He was formerly a chair of the Hamline Midway Coalition Development Committee and a member of Save Our Saint Paul Neighborhoods.

Sharon Anderson is a former waitress at the Hilton and Blue Horse. Anderson told the Pioneer Press her platform focuses on downsizing, “auditing all departments,” and exposing real estate disparities.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at swee4225@stthomas.edu.