Voters in Minneapolis, rocked by protests following the murder of George Floyd, were going to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether to replace the troubled police force with a Department of Public Safety.
Voters are being asked to say "yes" or "no" to amending the Minneapolis City Charter to create the new department, which would provide "public safety functions through a comprehensive public health approach."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who is up for re-election in the major Minnesota city on Tuesday, has opposed the ballot measure, but it has drawn support from several fellow high-profile Democrats, including state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Representative Ilhan Omar.
A 51% majority of those voting is required for the ballot measure to pass.
The May 2020 murder of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, by a white police officer sparked protests against police brutality in Minneapolis and other US cities and calls in some progressive Democratic quarters to "defund the police."
The former police officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder and manslaughter for Floyd's death and sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison.
If the Minneapolis ballot measure passes, the functions of the Department of Public Safety would be determined by the mayor and the city council and there would be a greater emphasis on hiring mental health experts and social workers.
The new department "could include licensed peace officers (police officers), if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety," according to the ballot measure.
In a recent poll of 800 likely Minneapolis voters by the Star Tribune and other media outlets, 33 percent said they had a favorable view of the police and 53% an unfavorable view.
49% said they support replacing the police department while 41% said they are opposed.
The US Justice Department announced in April following Chauvin's conviction that it was conducting an investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis police department systematically uses excessive force and "engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing".