More people have filed to run for mayor of Minneapolis this year -- 34 -- than any other election in recent city history, according to the city clerk.

The filing period, which opened last Tuesday, closes at 5 p.m. today. Tracking candidacies back to 1985, City Clerk Casey Carl said the only year that comes close to this one is 22 filers in 2001.

That and a number of competitive City Council races mean the city will likely have to produce a multi-page ballot to accommodate all the candidates, which it hasn't done since 2002.

Further complicating matters is the use of ranked choice voting, which requires a special ballot layout because it allows voters to rank their choices. Ranked choice voting also eliminates a primary, which would normally sort out some of the lesser-known candidates.

The number of candidates for mayor this year would have been limited by a proposal to increase the filing fee from $20 to $500. The proposal, intended to dissuade frivolous candidates, was pulled by author Cam Gordon after some expressed concerns about its timing so close to the election.

Among the people running for mayor are Captain Jack Sparrow, Bob "Again" Carney and Abdul M Rahaman "The Rock."

Candidates waging serious campaigns include Betsy Hodges, Mark Andrew, Don Samuels, Cam Winton, Jackie Cherryhomes, Dan Cohen, Bob Fine and Stephanie Woodruff.

Carl said the city's 2009 ballot was a single, double-side page. Multiple pages can prove challenging because voters misplace or otherwise lose the extra pages.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Thursday to withdraw from the race.

A full list of the candidates can be found here. Carl said that the website has not been updated today, which accounts for some additional candidacies.