The Duluth general election is scheduled to hold Tuesday November 7th. Perhaps the most anticipated item on the ballot is the Duluth mayoral race as voters will be asked to choose between incumbent Mayor Emily Larson and challenger Roger Reinert.

Four candidates are also on the ballot for Duluth city council at large, they are Jenna Yeakle, Lynn Marie Nephew, incumbent Arik Forsman, and Miranda Pacheco. Duluth districts one, four, and five will also chose city councilors.  

In other to encourage better student participation in the electoral process, the Political Science Association at the University of Minnesota Duluth held a Mock Election on Monday, November 6th. It was held at the Kirby Student Center and had in attendant some of the political candidates.

Sam Schmall, president of the association had this to say: “students make up a large part of Duluth. They’re part of the Duluth community. It’s important that they don’t feel detached from it. So, I think getting the candidates up here for students to understand who they’re voting for will be helpful as they will be able to talk to these people in person.”

WDIO spoke to student on campus and city residents in downtown on what their top concerns are. Many say they are worried about climate change, representation, tax, and homelessness as they head to the polls.

“I want someone who’s passionate about climate change, someone looking out for my community, other students and vulnerable communities.” Ruby Engel, UMD student.

“Representation matters, seeing women in power has made a difference in my life, and I think that it is important for children to see people of their race and gender in positions of power”. Linnea Swenson-Tellekson, Duluth resident.

“I’m looking for someone who has a strong environmental impact because climate change is growing and now has increasingly bigger impact”. Aidan Zeissler, UMD student.

“I am looking for someone that is tougher on crime, someone that will repair our bad roads, and justify my property taxes because I’m not seeing what I’m paying for”. Dean Colbenson, Duluth resident.

“I want someone who will tackle the issue of homelessness as I have seen an increased number of homeless people in the community. Housing needs to be provided for people who need it”. Antone Anpayan, Duluth resident.

Results for the mock election shows that incumbent Mayor Emily Larson won.