The council certified Resolution 2024-97, which canvassed the results of the November 5 election. The numbers tell a striking story: 86% of eligible voters participated, with 59% of all ballots cast early rather than on Election Day. That surge in early voting created unexpected operational challenges at City Hall, where the Council Chambers served as the primary polling location.

Clerk Sharon Allison reported that 11,294 voters came to City Hall during the final two weeks of early voting alone, averaging 753 voters per day. The volume created significant congestion and parking shortages, forcing the city manager to approve remote work arrangements for staff to free up parking spaces. "There's a really high interest for voting early, and what that really does for us is create some challenges with City Hall then being a polling place," Allison said.

Looking ahead, council members Jackson and Hovland expressed interest in relocating early voting operations to Fire Station Number Two for the 2026 and 2028 election cycles. Council Member Jackson noted that moving early voting out of City Hall would ease the strain on the building. "One of the things we had in mind was being able to do early voting there to take that out of City Hall," Jackson said, adding that staff should explore whether such a move is legally and logistically feasible.

The council's unanimous approval of the election results means Edina's municipal offices can now move forward with their transition planning. While no immediate action was taken on the Fire Station proposal, the discussion signals that city leadership recognizes the need to adapt its election infrastructure to accommodate changing voter preferences.