Nelsie Yang is a member of the St. Paul City Council in Minnesota, representing Ward 6. She assumed office on January 7, 2020. Her current term ends on January 3, 2028.
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
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Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
Total votes: 3,016
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Yang in this election.
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Nelsie Yang in round 5 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
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Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
Total votes: 5,708
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Nelsie Yang completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Yang's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
As a Hmong daughter of refugees, renter, young progressive leader, organizer and union steward at TakeAction Minnesota, I am using my professional and lived experiences to elevate and fight for our community. I've worked on issue and political campaigns in the past in local, state and congressional races throughout Minnesota. What sets me apart from other candidates is that I'm always learning along the way from people and organizations. There is no cap to my experiences, wisdom, and creativity. While other campaigns run for office on the platform that they're the best candidate because of their resume, I stay true to my run for office by making it about people. My race is about the shared values I have with people and how we can work to ensure the changes in our ward and city reflect these values. I'm someone who is not afraid to voice my concerns or our communities' concerns. That means bringing my lived experiences of poverty and marginalization into the work I do to 1) shape the strongest policies for families and marginalized communities, 2) center people in my work, and 3) never let go of my roots and the people who shape me to be who I am today. I am committed to a life of governing, organizing, and championing progressive, union agendas because I understand that lives just like mine are on the line every day due to unjust and inequitable policies. Only people coming together can change that. I am a leader who has unwavering values for progress, I fought for the $15 minimum wage that passed successfully in Saint Paul, negotiated contracts that won 10% salary raises for workers, and worked in state coalitions to win back millions of dollars to protect public goods and services like public health care.
A safe and stable home is a basic necessity that no one should have to live without, but the financial forces of student debt, rising cost of living, and unlivable wages are some of the most pressing issues make housing unstable for many.
2) Clean & Safe Communities
One of the biggest concerns for Ward 6 constituents is feeling a lack of safety. As an organizer who works toward criminal justice reform alongside people who are former felons and communities of color, I reject the status quo idea that over-policing will eliminate systemic issues, like poverty, that our community faces. Community issues require community solutions, which is why I'm committed to making our community safer by working in coalitions to increase accessibility and funding for youth/adult diversion programs and hire mental health practitioners & social workers. I also want to host meetings to listen to neighbors and organizations about their vision for public safety.
3) Job Opportunities and Economic Sustainability for Working Families and Small Businesses
To continue the fight for economic justice, I will be a vocal voice for corporate accountability, grow our job base to provide opportunities for youth, people from marginalized communities, people with criminal backgrounds, and end poverty wages by enforcing the $15 minimum wage ordinance.
As an organizer and union steward, I run for office to fight and ensure that the systems we live in work for people across race, class, gender, and age. Unlike my colleagues in the race, I don't run to keep it the same. I am the only candidate who brings in a lens of race, class, gender, and age into my work because I understand that the future of Ward 6 will only continue to become more diverse, and we need a Council Member who will work for all of us and ensure our future does the same. Our communities have been marginalized for so long to the point where we continue to face the highest levels of poverty while not getting our fair share of tax dollars is not okay with me. I'm bold and unapologetic about fighting for a system that works for us. I've negotiated historical labor contracts for my members because I'm someone who has unwavering values around what we all need in order to thrive. My colleagues who seem to always talk about their resume and experience on boards and committees have seemed to forget that democracy isn't about you as the candidate. It's about people and bringing them together to change the course of the community and ensuring that everyone is a decision-maker in our future. Four years from now, I want the East Side to be in the best position it has ever been in ensuring workers are earning livable wages so they can care for themselves and their family, thriving small businesses, renters and homeowners being able to afford their home and proud about the neighborhood they live in, our youth and families being able to access community centers and libraries 24/7, people from all over proud about the opportunities we've created to ensure everyone has a safe and accessible transportation, especially biking, walking, public transit, and pushing our city as a whole to invest in clean renewable energy for all.
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