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MMAM presents Liz Sexton at Rivoli Arts Nov. 6
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM), in partnership with the Rivoli Arts Building, will present a one-night pop-up exhibition featuring the work of Minneapolis-based artist Liz Sexton on Friday, November
The Loop Minneapolis closing after 20 years in business
Officials with The Loop Minneapolis confirmed on social media they are closing. Their final day of business will be Sunday, Nov. 29.
Minneapolis mental health crisis response program ‘thrown into chaos’
The program that sends unarmed mental health professionals to some 911 calls is in limbo after the council rejected a new vendor to do the work.
Behind the scenes at Nicolas Cage’s zombie shoot in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Watching a farmer draw water from a Stillwater well would be a chore if the “farmer” wasn’t Nicolas Cage, one of the biggest stars to commit to a
Minnesota finds discrimination in businesses’ rejection of tribal IDs
Minnesota investigators found probable cause of discrimination after a credit union and Minneapolis bar rejected Native customers’ tribal identification cards.
Business People: Former Colle McVoy president Obele Brown-West to lead Folklore
ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS Folklore, a Minneapolis-based ad agency, announced it has named Obele Brown-West as CEO and partner. Brown-West most recently was president at Colle McVoy (now DonerColle within Stagwell). … Midnight…
Is There an Entrepreneurial Case for a Minneapolis Bathhouse?
Or will the taps of Minneapolis bathhouses run with nothing but red ink? “If it was a sure thing, there’d be one in St. Paul today.”
Build Stakeholder Trust Before You Need It
Preparing relationships for change deserves as much attention as preparing the business.
Is the Prince estate finally listening to fan complaints?
MINNEAPOLIS — Is the Prince estate finally listening to complaints from hardcore fans? On Oct. 9, the estate and NPG Records released the “Calabama EP” as a follow-up to the
Could AI spell doom for humans? Poll finds Minnesotans are worried
MINNEAPOLIS — More than two-thirds of Minnesota voters worry that artificial intelligence could someday destroy humanity, according to a new Star Tribune/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll, an extraordinary fear that joins
Michael Che's Minneapolis stand-up special now streaming on Netflix
MINNEAPOLIS — Everyone who wasn’t allowed a bathroom break while “SNL” weekend anchor Michael Che was taping his Netflix special at First Avenue can now find out if their sacrifice
New PBS docuseries asks how Minnesotans pursue happiness
MINNEAPOLIS — Happiness comes in many forms. But Minnesota has as much of it as anybody, argue the makers of a new docuseries “Pursuit of Happiness.” The three-episode limited series,
2 Minneapolis firefighters hurt in East Franklin Avenue business fire
Business People: Hilton exec Mark Weinstein to lead Target marketing
RETAIL Target Corp., Minneapolis, announced that Mark Weinstein has joined the company as chief marketing and guest experience officer. Weinstein joins Target from Hilton, where he served as global chief marketing officer for all 28…
Minneapolis Amplified holding concerts at small businesses
Live music and art will be flooding Minneapolis small businesses this weekend with Minneapolis Amplified.
Prince live album leads Record Store Day’s Black Friday list
MINNEAPOLIS — The Prince estate is offering fans something they can all agree on for Black Friday this year: a new live album. The three-LP vinyl or two-CD set “3121
Startup Snapshot: Gudea
The Minneapolis-based startup is a digital version of the old listening post.
Minneapolis shops invite customers for Latino business week as many recover from ICE surge
Minneapolis celebrates its third annual Latino Business Week this week, as many Latino-owned shops around the city continue recovering from losses during the federal immigration enforcement surge.
Minneapolis man sentenced to 5 years in prison for string of business burglaries
Readers Write: Health care, AI, Minneapolis City Council and Public Schools, the death penalty
Be an informed health care voter this November.
Grayson High grad killed in Minneapolis attack; suspect had violent past
The family of a 23-year-old Metro Atlanta man is demanding answers after he was killed during a violent attack at a Minneapolis mental health treatment facility.
Grayson High alumnus killed in mental health facility attack
Grayson High School graduate Bryce Hayes died following an assault at a Minneapolis mental health facility, prompting his family to demand answers regarding facility safety.
Family of man killed at Minneapolis mental health facility calls for justice
The family of the 23-year-old man killed in Monday’s attack at a Minneapolis residential treatment facility is calling for accountability and justice.
Family demands answers after son, 23, killed at Minneapolis mental health facility
The family of a 23-year-old man killed at a Minneapolis mental health facility is seeking answers as to why someone with a recent history of alleged violence was allowed to live alongside vulnerable residents and what could have been done to prevent it.
Michigan Uniform Combo
Michigan has revealed its uniform combination for Saturday’s Little Brown Jug matchup against Minnesota in Minneapolis.
We Fest announces 2027 summer lineup
MINNEAPOLIS — One longtime Nashville favorite, one newly famous TV star and one of country music’s hottest outlier bands top the decidedly mixed lineup for We Fest 2027. Tim McGraw,
Threads Dance Project marks 15 years with 'Love Evolving'
Threads Dance Project is marking its 15th anniversary this fall with Love Evolving, a retrospective celebrating the Minneapolis dance company's history while introducing new work shaped by stories from the
Dolphins Players Bash HC Jeff Hafley’s Scheme: Report
The Miami Dolphins are heading to Minneapolis seeking to win their first contest under head coach Jeff Hafley when they play the 3-0 Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. First-year Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan left his post with the Green Bay Packers in January and brought former Hafley, then a defensive coordinator with the Packers, […] The post Dolphins Players Bash HC Jeff Hafley’s Scheme: Report appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.
Chris Koza album release concert Oct. 24
Lanesboro Arts is thrilled to celebrate the release of Chris Koza’s latest album, “Millsmoke on the Skyline,” with a concert at the St. Mane Theatre at 7 p.m. on October 24. Chris Koza is a composer and performer based in Denver and Minneapolis. In his writing, Koza both honors and builds on the vast genre of Americana music. For every song that sounds like it could be strummed from a boxcar clacking slowly across a grassy midwestern plain, there’s a tune sailing from a city rooftop, echoing across a valley of streets and traffic, or a melody twisting and shimmering like a dim frequency deep into the starry night.Both as a solo artist and with his band Rogue Valley, Koza has supported and shared the stage with artists such as Brandi Carlile, Gordon Lightfoot, Ingrid Michaelson, The Jayhawks, Neko Case, Kathleen Edwards, Dan Wilson, and many more. His music regularly appears on ABC’s “General Hospital,” “60 Minutes,” and “Good Morning America.” Koza’s song, “Be Wild,” was also featured in a state of Minnesota tourism campaign.#placement_932485_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid932485 = window.pid932485 || rnd;var plc932485 = window.plc932485 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=932485;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid932485+';place='+(plc932485++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Koza’s latest offering, “Millsmoke on the Skyline,” grants the newfound outsider perspective of the rich life and golden fleeting days throughout the rural Midwest. Weaving melody and lyrics into vignettes and narratives set in places where love is powerful, dreams are vast, and life is beautiful.The St. Mane Theatre box office will open at 6 p.m. on the day of the concert. Tickets will be sold in person at the door or can be purchased online at lanesboroarts.org. Seating at the St. Mane theatre is first come, first served. Tickets are on sale now for $25 for general admission or $22 for Lanesboro Arts members.The 2026 performing arts season at Lanesboro Arts is made possible by our season sponsor, Poet Refinery, as well as our concert level sponsors, High Court Pub, Krage Insurance Agency & Preble Farmers Mutual, Stone Mill Clothing & Gifts, E2 Boutique/Amish Experience, and The Cottage House Inn, and community sponsors, VIS Plumbing, Granny’s Liquor, Kingsley Mercantile, Batstone CPA, Clara’s Eatery, IGA, Niagara Cave, and Huntington Electric. This event is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. #placement_932489_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid932489 = window.pid932489 || rnd;var plc932489 = window.plc932489 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=932489;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid932489+';place='+(plc932489++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');
Michael Che's new Netflix special is 'Shot in Minnesota'
MINNEAPOLIS — Everyone who wasn’t allowed a bathroom break while “Saturday Night Live” weekend anchor Michael Che was taping his Netflix special at First Avenue is about to find out
U.S. Bank Launches New Credit Cards for Small Business Owners with Jessica Alba as Spokesperson
MINNEAPOLIS, September 28, 2026--U.S. Bank doubles down on its commitment to support small business owners with the launch of its U.S. Bank Business EssentialsTM Visa® Card and U.S. Bank Business EssentialsTM Plus Visa Signature® Card. The cards are designed for small business owners looking for straight-forward rewards on their everyday business purchases. Both offer unlimited 2% cash back on eligible purchases, plus the ability to earn higher cash back when paired with qualifying balances in a
Adexo Advertising Surpasses 500 Active Businesses and $20 Million in Managed Ad Spend
MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESS Newswire / September 28, 2026 / , a Minneapolis-based AI advertising platform that builds and optimizes Facebook and Google Ads for local and service-based businesses, today announced that it now serves more than 500 active businesses and has managed more than $20 million in advertising spend since launching in 2022.The milestone reflects growing demand among small and mid-sized businesses for advertising measured by qualified leads and booked jobs rather than clicks.
St. Paul police chief sues Mayor Kaohly Her alleging sexual harassment
MINNEAPOLIS — St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming that Mayor Kaohly Her sexually harassed and battered him, and that the city retaliated against him when
Minneapolis' mobile medical unit is on the move
In its first year of operation, Minneapolis Mobile Medical Unit staff engaged with over 4,000 community members. Established in response to the opioid crisis, the unit prioritizes outreach to communities with high levels of drug use, including individuals experiencing homelessness and those who are uninsured or underinsured.
Bat found in downtown Minneapolis tests positive for rabies
The bat was found on Sept. 15, on the sidewalk along Hennepin Avenue between Washington Avenue and Third Street, not far from the Minneapolis Central Library.
Health department seeks woman who picked up rabid bat in Minneapolis
Anyone who came in contact with the bat is urged to contact their healthcare provider.
Minnesota set for 11 a.m. kickoff against Michigan
Will the Big Noon kickoff team be in Minneapolis?
Health department investigating after rabid bat found in downtown Minneapolis
Allina quietly started, then stopped, saving appointment slots for privately insured patients
Minneapolis-based nonprofit health care provider was courting people with employer coverage. Critics worried about the impact for low-income patients.
Health officials seek woman seen handling rabid bat in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday
Fed's Kashkari says inflation is still too high across US economy, in Fox News interview
Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on Sunday that inflation is too high across all sectors of the US economy, not just in rising oil prices.
Business People: Julie Batliner named president at Padilla
ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS Padilla, a Minneapolis-based public relations firm, announced that it has named Julie Batliner president, succeeding Matt Kucharski, who will transition to a planned retirement at the end of 2026. Kucharski…
How a Minneapolis clinic helped bring healthcare to patients during Operation Metro Surge
Operation Metro Surge took a toll on schools, businesses, restaurants and medical care. Inspire Change Clinic in south Minneapolis responded by changing how it delivered care.
Man who sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar with vinegar sentenced to 14 months in prison
The man who sprayed vinegar at Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall was sentenced Thursday to 14 months in prison after reaching a deal with prosecutors.
Grace Reiter joins the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’
MINNEAPOLIS — “Saturday Night Live” is adding another Midwesterner. Grace Reiter, who grew up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, will join the cast when it returns for its 52nd season on
A year after Minnesota legalized cannabis sales, business are still adjusting
Erin Walloch, the CEO of the Minneapolis cannabis dispensary CannaJoy MN, explains what challenges the cannabis industry faces a year after legal sales launched.
Yankees make roster move after win
The Yankees blew out the Twins 8-1 Tuesday night at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Feds sue Gold Star Distribution to cease operations until company complies with health regulations
A Minneapolis warehouse has been storing baby formula, Tylenol and other everyday products alongside live rodents, bird droppings and worms — and the federal government wants it shut down for good.
Business People: Former Minnesota Solicitor General Liz Kramer joins Dorsey
LAW Dorsey & Whitney, Minneapolis, announced that Liz Kramer has joined the firm as partner in the Commercial Litigation group in Minneapolis. Before joining Dorsey, Kramer served as Minnesota Solicitor General for two terms, leading…
Mississippi State Dominates Minnesota in Statement Win
Mississippi State delivered one of its biggest wins of the young 2026 season Saturday, traveling to Minneapolis and taking down Minnesota 38-13 . The Bulldogs came out firing and never allowed the Golden Gophers to establish control. Mississippi State scored 14 points in each of the first two quarters, taking a commanding 28-6 lead into…
Guardians score vs. Twins. Minnesota holds on to beat Cleveland
Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a home run and the Minnesota Twins held on to beat the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 12, in Minneapolis.
Vice Chair of Health Care leads year-round campaign to improve health in the Twin Cities
MINNEAPOLIS, Mn – Aug. 11, 2026 — Through the American Heart Association’s Heart of Minneapolis campaign, Jon Salveson, volunteer chair and vice chair of health care for Piper Sandler, will lead community-wide efforts to help ensure every individual in...
Person of the Year + TCB 100 Celebration
Featured Event Person of the Year + TCB 100 Celebration December 07, 2026 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Register Cost Click REGISTER for details Directions Location Minnesota Orchestra Hall 1111 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis 55403 Description Each December, Twin Cities Business unveils the TCB 100 list, our annual "list of all lists" recognizing the business
Ask Pete Dougherty your questions about the Green Bay Packers
Pete Dougherty is taking questions as the Green Bay Packers head into the Week 1 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis.
Two Native-run clinics will expand in Minneapolis this fall
An Indian Health Board site and a Native American Community Clinic are both expanding their Franklin Avenue locations this year adding more health care options in the city’s Native cultural corridor.
Matt Barnes on L.A.'s roster: 'Whitest Laker team since the Minneapolis Lakers'
Matt Barnes on L.A.'s roster: 'Whitest Laker team since the Minneapolis Lakers'
Protolabs Named to Business Insider’s America’s Most Innovative Businesses 2027 List
MINNEAPOLIS, September 04, 2026--Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB), the world’s leading provider of digital manufacturing services, today announced it has been recognized as one of America’s Most Innovative Businesses by Business Insider. The digital manufacturer was recognized for its extensive library of patents for manufacturing technology, ongoing investment in research and development, and strong peer sentiment as a cutting-edge leader within the industry.
Native American Community Clinic to Open New Health Campus in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — The Native American Community Clinic (NACC) will open its new health campus to patients Tuesday, September 15th, marking a major expansion of culturally grounded health care and community services for Native families in the Twin Cities. Located along the American Indian Cultural Corridor in south Minneapolis, the new clinic is part of an […]
2 people killed and suspect is dead in downtown Minneapolis shooting
The five wounded by gunfire included two Minneapolis police officers
Trump Names Pastor to Advise Administration on Tobacco Health
WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Pastor Darrell Scott will serve his administration as an adviser for tobacco health issues on a committee that advises the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "For far too long,
Cincinnati logistics company acquired by national firm
Priority Dispatch Inc. and Diamond Expedited, both owned by Jeff Thomas, will be acquired by Minneapolis-based Priority Courier Experts to expand logistics services across the Midwest.
Minnesota’s top court rejects Mike Lindell’s bid for primary recount
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Supreme Court justices denied requests for a primary election recount by MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, effectively confirming his loss to Lisa Demuth as the Republican nominee for
Column: Remembering Dolly Parton, from her quick wit to lipsyncing
MINNEAPOLIS -- I outed Dolly Parton. Back in 2004, when the country legend came to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, I called her out in my review for
Business owners squeezed as costs rise, profits fall, Minneapolis Fed survey finds
Most businesses in the Upper Midwest report that their profits are down from last year, according to a new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Editor's Note: Settling for Less
It's time to spend more creativity and energy on downtown Minneapolis' problems.
Minnesota's kicking competition muddied by NCAA eligibility court ruling
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The eligibility chaos across college football has seeped into depth charts for several programs with the regular season fast approaching.
Political candidate Jake Lang arrested after vehicles drove toward City Hall crowd
Law enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said they arrested political candidate Jake Lang and several others on Tuesday.
Mental health coordinator addresses 5 people found dead in Minneapolis in less than a week
Mental health expert speaks out after several deaths within week in Minneapolis
Minneapolis diverted thousands of mental health calls from police. Its costs and oversight are under scrutiny.
A former supervisor and recent city study say the city is failing to properly track the private contractor staffing the city’s behavioral crisis response team.
Bratvold joins Colliers' Des Moines office
Real estate brokerage and investment firm Colliers has announced that Tim Bratvold has joined their Des Moines office as associate vice president, focusing on the multi-family sector. He will work closely with Collier’s Minneapolis-St. Paul multi-family team, which closed more than $1 billion in multifamily transactions over the past two years. Before joining Colliers, Bratvold…
Opinion | Why a merger between the Minneapolis and St. Paul chambers is the wrong direction
"This Thursday, the boards of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber and St. Paul Area Chamber will vote on creating a new regional chamber, paving the way for an eventual merger," Vicki Stute writes.
Business People: Jazz Hampton joins Bassford Remele law firm
LAW Bassford Remele, Minneapolis, announced that Jazz Hampton has joined the firm. Hampton is co-founder, CEO and general counsel of TurnSignl, a legal-services app, has taught entrepreneurial finance at the University of St. Thomas Opus…
A disputed phone call sheds light on political maneuvering over Minneapolis public safety
Toddrick Barnette claims Council member Jamal Osman asked him for a political favor to earn his support. Osman calls it “a frickin’ lie.”
Trump's immigration crackdown looms over Minnesota's bruising Senate primary
Months later, confrontations between immigration agents and protestors in Minneapolis remain the backdrop to Minnesota's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, which features establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and the more progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
Obituary: MN health commissioner Ed Ehlinger resigned over nursing home abuse, but never quit public health
Ehlinger died Wednesday at his home in Minneapolis. He was 80.
Minneapolis Independent Music Venues Generate $2.2 Billion but Face Financial Challenges
A new report reveals a disconnect between the industry's economic impact and profitability, finding that locally owned venues are essential to the city's economy, even though only 20 percent report turning a profit.
'Iran War Participation Trophy' for Trump is on tour, joins Instagram
A 10-foot sculpture of a golden trophy made for President Trump by the anonymous arts activist group Secret Handshake is officially on tour, with an Instagram page and appearances in D.C., New York and Minneapolis.
Medtech company wants to help hospitals open radiation-free interventional MR labs
Minneapolis-based Imricor Medical Systems is asking hospital leaders to rethink the way they do business.
Urban League report says Trump administration is harming Black Americans' chances at American Dream
Released on Thursday, the annual “State of Black America” report grimly describes Black Americans' economic and political prospects as having worsened due to policy changes from President Donald Trump's administration.
Person of the Year + TCB 100 Celebration
Featured Event Person of the Year + TCB 100 Celebration December 03, 2026 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Directions Location Minnesota Orchestra Hall 1111 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis 55403 Description Each December, Twin Cities Business unveils the TCB 100 list, our annual "list of all lists" recognizing the business leaders, innovators, and changemakers poised to
IBBA® Announces the Results from the 2026 Annual Conference for Business Brokers
The International Business Brokers Association® (IBBA) presents key moments from the 2026 IBBA Annual Conference, held May 29–31 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. The conference convened Business Brokers from the USA and Canada for two days of education, networking and professional development not found anywhere else. The keynote address, "Resilience and Embracing Change," was delivered by Olympic medalist Noelle Pikus Pace. Her presentation featured valuable perspectives to turn personal and pr
Minneapolis starts Black Business Week with focus on investment, entrepreneurship
The kickoff comes as small businesses across the Twin Cities continue to navigate economic uncertainty. Some business owners have reported challenges tied to the recent increase in federal immigration enforcement activity, including fewer customers, staffing concerns and financial strain.
Understanding the financial health of Native CDFI loan funds: A closer look at the numbers | Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
New analysis sheds light on how Native CDFI loan funds balance financial sustainability with serving historically underserved communities
ASHE to host Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference in August
The AHA’s American Society for Health Care Engineering will host the Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference in Minneapolis from Aug. 2-5.
Shaky political "science": breakdown of the peer review process
[This article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in December 2025, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting (RCV). Many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first four articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report; the second one analyzed a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report; a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research; and a fourth article that analyzed seven studies sponsored by New America’s political reform program that deployed flawed methodology based on “simulated” elections instead of real-world elections, which when combined with some basic misunderstandings of RCV, produced odd and misleading results]. In this fifth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we examine two flawed studies on the impact of RCV on voter turnout authored by San Francisco State University professor Jason McDaniel. McDaniel’s research in these two papers stands out for its puzzling methodology, inadequate and cherry-picked data, and faulty analyses that not only misunderstands ranked choice voting but reflects a basic misunderstanding of politics in general. The first of the McDaniel studies actually passed through a peer review process and then was subsequently published by the Journal of Urban Affairs, despite its obvious errors. It is perplexing that a jury of peer political scientists did not catch the errors and send it back to McDaniel for a rewrite or outright rejection. This calls into question the credibility of the peer review process itself. The peer review process is supposed to represent the intellectual pinnacle of the profession – a way for academics to certify the quality of each other’s work, and to act as a check against sloppy research. In the case of the McDaniel study, the peer review process failed. Yet his flawed study has been cited dozens of times by other political scientists in their own flawed works — an unvirtuous circle of academic research. Here is the first Jason McDaniel study that we analyzed: “Writing the Rules to Rank the Candidates: Examining the Impact of Instant-Runoff Voting on Racial Group Turnout in San Francisco Mayoral Elections,” by Jason McDaniel, 2016, Journal of Urban Affairs. This study covered San Francisco’s use of ranked choice voting (RCV) in mayoral elections, purporting to show that RCV reduces voter turnout overall, increases voter errors, and has a negative impact on “marginal populations,” i.e. racial minorities, mainly as the result of the alleged complexity of RCV asking voters to rank candidates and having to be familiar with multiple candidates and related dynamics. McDaniel reached these conclusions by examining five San Francisco mayoral elections taking place in odd years (i.e. where there are no federal or state races on the ballot) from 1995 to 2011, comparing three earlier non-RCV races (in 1995, 1999 and 2003) with the later two RCV races (in 2007 and 2011). Only two RCV races were studied, and as McDaniel acknowledged, only the contest in 2011 was “competitive” (that contest in 2007 was the first mayoral election using RCV, and incumbent mayor Gavin Newsom won easily in the first round of counting, earning 74% of first choices and far ahead of the second place candidate who had just 6.3% of first choices). Yet even the allegedly competitive contest in 2011was won by an incumbent with a landslide margin of nearly 20 points. No other elections were studied by McDaniel, even though San Francisco elects 17 other offices besides mayor with RCV, including the 11 seats on the Board of Supervisors (the name for the city council) in even years, and six other citywide offices in odd years. Previous academic research has found that competitive elections can stimulate greater voter involvement and higher turnout. For unexplained reasons, this study ignored at least 34 other RCV races between the years 2004 to 2011, many of which were very competitive and had high voter turnout. Instead, McDaniel’s analysis based its conclusions on data from only a single, marginally-competitive mayor’s race using RCV. These 2007 and 2011 mayoral elections were the only two RCV elections that McDaniel used as the sole basis for his small data set to determine the impact of RCV on voter turnout. Despite having no meaningful data to inform his study, McDaniel nonetheless concluded that RCV lowered turnout when compared to the previous three mayoral non-RCV elections using two-round runoffs. Then, using the same inadequate database of San Francisco elections, McDaniel also found that “Instant-runoff voting is associated with a significant decline in Black voter turnout and White voter turnout…On average, Black voter turnout decreases by 18 points and White voter turnout decreases by 16 points …” But how could he credibly arrive at that conclusion when his study was based on voter turnout in two RCV contests that were not even remotely competitive? Beyond that, McDaniel tacitly admits that the key determining factor driving Black voter turnout was not RCV vs non-RCV elections, but the presence of a viable Black candidate. McDaniel wrote, “Black voter turnout was about 17 percentage points higher for the two elections that featured an African American candidate compared to the three elections that did not” — but one of those three elections did not use RCV. The same dynamic was present for White voter turnout, in which higher turnout was not correlated with RCV vs non-RCV elections, but the presence of a viable White candidate. Beyond that, McDaniel’s voter turnout results, whether correlated with the race of the candidates or RCV vs non-RCV elections, showed no clear patterns. In his Figure 1, he shows low Asian voter turnout in the non-RCV elections in 1999 and 2003 when there was no viable Asian candidate running, but in the 2007 mayoral election using RCV, there is still no viable Asian candidate, yet Asian turnout increases dramatically. For Latinos, voter turnout is virtually the same in 1999 (no viable Latino candidate, non-RCV elections), 2003 (leading Latino candidate, non-RCV elections), 2007 (no viable Latino candidate, RCV elections) and 2011 (leading Latino candidate, RCV elections). Meanwhile White voter turnout increased dramatically from a low in the 2007 mayoral election, in which the leading candidate was a white incumbent, to the 2011 election in which there were no leading white candidates that finished any higher than sixth place with 5.6% of the vote. Clearly other factors were determining voter turnout than either the race of the candidates or RCV vs non-RCV elections. Despite these inconsistent findings, McDaniel boldly marches forth to render conclusions about the impact of RCV on different groups of racial voters, even though his conclusions are not remotely supported by his data. This looks like the worst kind of “data cherry picking” to cover up a puzzling conclusion based on a poor data set involving only two RCV elections, neither of which were remotely competitive. McDaniel’s cherry picking didn’t stop there. In calculating voter turnout for the three non-RCV mayoral elections in 1995, 1999 and 2003, he failed to mention that in each of these years there was a two-round runoff election, with a first round election in November in which no candidate garnered a winning majority of the vote, followed by the decisive runoff in December. So there were two non-RCV elections in each election year. But McDaniel only decided to include one of the two elections in his data set, apparently the December runoff in each year (which had higher turnout in two out of the three mayor’s races, and lower turnout in the third). So he ignored the November 1995 election, the November 1999 election when turnout was only 45 percent, and the November 2003 election when turnout was only 45.7 percent. This is flawed methodology based on blatant cherry picking, since McDaniel simply omitted three elections worth of data that did not fit within his frame. His study should never have made it through a peer review process, and it is an embarrassment to political science that not only was it approved for publication, but it has been uncritically cited by dozens of other political scientists. Share A “study” without wider context or credible data Lacking a data set that included even a single competitive RCV mayoral race, McDaniel declared that RCV lowered voter turnout in 2011, when turnout was 42.5 percent. But he also ignored -- or did not realize -- that voter turnout in mayoral elections during 2011 had sharply declined in all big cities, including far more steeply in nearby Los Angeles and other cities. In fact, San Francisco’s election in 2011 had the second highest turnout of any mayoral election in the nation’s 22 largest cities from 2008-2011. Was 2011 just a particularly low turnout year all across the country, perhaps because the country was still reeling from the aftermath of the housing market collapse in 2008-2010? McDaniel ignored this factor and did not search for alternative explanations beyond his flawed thesis. Furthermore, while McDaniel suggested that RCV leads to more “overvotes” – which is an invalidated ballot in which a voter, in either a non-RCV or RCV race, makes a mistake and selects two candidates for a single choice – he failed to address that in the June 2012 US Senate primary contest, which used the typical “one-choice” plurality method and did not use RCV, there was more than five times as many overvotes in San Francisco and Oakland than in the RCV mayoral elections in those cities. Additionally, turnout had been significantly higher and more representative in RCV elections for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors races -- that McDaniel didn’t even bother to study -- as compared to previous “delayed two-round runoffs” for those offices, often higher by as much as 40% in the RCV races. Perhaps the most surprising irony was that an earlier study co-authored by McDaniel (Overvoting and the Equality of Voice under Instant-Runoff Voting in San Francisco by Francis Neely and Jason McDaniel, 2015, California Journal of Politics and Policy) found that overvotes are often more common in lower-income precincts, but that the pattern of overvoting is similar in both RCV and non-RCV contests. Wrote Neely and McDaniel: “[Overvote] errors appear to be a function of complexity in general and not IRV per se…. the pattern of overvoting is similar in both IRV and non-IRV contests…Even among votes cast in a top-of-the-ticket race like U.S. Senate, overvoting occurs in an uneven fashion” (IRV, or ‘instant runoff voting,’ is another name for ranked choice voting in single-winner contests). So McDaniel not only contradicted his own conclusion in his earlier study with Neely, but the earlier study had been an important corrective for one of the most frequently made mistakes made by anti-RCV political scientists – a continual failure to provide crucial context by pairing a comparative analysis of real world RCV elections with an analysis of real world plurality or other electoral methods. Unfortunately McDaniel’s earlier study does not get cited much by other researchers, and McDaniel did not even cite it in his own flawed study analyzed above. Incredibly, McDaniel cherrypicked McDaniel, even as his flawed study has been cited dozens of times. Despite being a textbook example of poor political “science,” featuring both inadequate as well as cherrypicked data, the shelf life of McDaniel’s study has been extended endlessly by other political scientists and media outlets who have cited it uncritically. Equally troubling, the Journal of Urban Affairs put this paper through its peer review process and published it despite its numerous flaws. McDaniel gets it wrong, Part II Not content with producing one shoddy, confused paper, McDaniel produced another one a few years later, here is the link: Electoral Rules and Voter Turnout in Mayoral Elections: An Analysis of Ranked-Choice Voting by Jason McDaniel. San Francisco State Univ. (McDaniel, 2019). In this paper, McDaniel extended his previous flawed research focused on San Francisco, about voter turnout and voter impact, to multiple RCV cities through the 2018 elections. In his data set he included San Francisco, Minneapolis, St Paul, Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro and Santa Fe. He then compared their turnout in mayoral elections to non-RCV cities, and to mayoral elections in those cities held before first RCV usage, and concluded “a significant decrease in voter turnout of approximately 3–5 percentage points in RCV cities after the implementation of RCV.” But he replicated many of the same mistakes as his first study presented above. While in this study McDaniel attempted to distinguish between various factors, such as odd year vs. even year elections, competitive races vs. noncompetitive, contests with open seats and other factors, the analysis is superficial and inadequate. He attempts to incorporate so many often-conflicting variables that his conclusions are once again unsupported by the actual data, and ultimately unconvincing (this second study never underwent a peer review process). For example, McDaniel declared that for RCV cities “in elections that are more competitive than average (margin of victory less than 20%), there is no significant RCV effect on voter turnout.” Yet McDaniel is a professor in a city, San Francisco, in which the 2018 special election using RCV to fill a mayoral vacancy was exceedingly close, decided by a margin of only one percentage point, and resulted in the second highest turnout in San Francisco history for a mayoral election. Illustrating the complexity involved in assessing the critical factors in turnout, that special election was held on the same election day as federal and state offices, which tends to boost turnout. Yet more voters participated in that RCV mayoral election than voted on the same day in the non-RCV primary for governor in which former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom was running. Even more puzzling, in this study McDaniel inaccurately cited his own previous study from 2015 with Neely. McDaniel wrote, “Neely and McDaniel (2015) examine individual ballot image files within a natural experiment, and find higher rates of ballot errors in RCV elections compared to non-RCV elections” (emphasis added). However, we quoted from that 2015 study several paragraphs above, and in actual fact Neely and McDaniel actually concluded the opposite -- that the pattern of overvoting – which is the most common form of ballot error – is similar in both RCV and non-RCV contests. McDaniel also ignored the fact that in Bay Area RCV elections held in even years – at the same time as federal and state elections, when turnout is highest -- the “undervote” (that is, the dropoff in ballots cast for governor or mayor) has declined, which contradicts his thesis that the act of ranking ballots in RCV elections is too complex and presents a barrier for certain demographics of voters. To his credit, McDaniel actually acknowledged another contradiction in his own paper, which found a negative RCV turnout effect in some odd-year elections but not others, admitting that “may present a challenge to the theory that increased complexity [from RCV] will have a marginal negative effect on voter turnout.” But he tried to wallpaper over that contradiction by blaming it on an unlikely source -- bad election administration. McDaniels wrote, “This would suggest that the negative impact of RCV on voter participation may be alleviated by high quality election administration,” without presenting any data or even anecdotes to support such an unfounded theory. While competent election administration of any election, whether RCV or non-RCV, is crucially important, there is no credible research that supports the far-fetched notion that the quality of election administration has much of an impact on voter turnout in US elections, whether using RCV or otherwise. Upgrade to a $5 subscription The unvirtuous circle of academic research It is puzzling how McDaniel’s first study could have survived the peer review process for the Journal of Urban Affairs. The mistakes in McDaniel’s first study above should have been obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of ranked choice voting as well as elections in general, and elections in San Francisco specifically. It undermines faith in the credibility of the peer review process to think that a jury of peer political scientists did not catch the egregious errors and reject McDaniel’s sloppy research and paper. And it remains a black mark on political science that this thoroughly discredited study has been cited dozens of times by other researchers. Indeed, in our research paper it became apparent that many political scientists cite each other’s flawed research to pad their list of citations and to legitimize their own flawed research, creating an unvirtuous circle of political science. More broadly, McDaniel’s voter turnout studies, like other studies evaluating RCV’s impact on turnout, lacked a recognition that no credible opinion or research can claim that RCV increases voter turnout merely because so many voters are excited to vote for their favorite candidates instead of “lesser evil” candidates without worrying about spoilers. Instead, with respect to turnout, the advantage of RCV has always been that, in most places where it has been used, it has eliminated a pre-November primary or post-November runoff, which usually saw about half the turnout of the November general election. This is especially true during even years when there are state and federal elections on the ballot which substantially drive turnout more than local contests. Any study that does not adequately account for this non-November primary/runoff vs November general election dynamic, or odd year vs even year election factors, is simply not credible. Both of McDaniel’s studies largely failed on those grounds. Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to a $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS…your digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
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