(ABC 6 News) – Three weeks was all Casey Striver had to campaign for the Claremont mayoral race.

Uncertainty on whether or not to run left him off the ballot, but after he changed his mind, he had to count on the write-in votes.

“Getting them to follow through with the write in which was probably the most difficult part because you have to remember the name, you have to remember how to spell it,” Striver said.

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State, write-in ballots vary depending on what position you’re running for.

Some cities have ordinances requiring write in candidates to file a written request for their votes to be counted. For the mayoral race in Claremont, that wasn’t the case.

Striver went to work fast, going door to door up until Election Day to get enough votes to secure victory.

“Sometimes 45-minute conversations with people, sometimes two-hour conversations.”

Striver beat out incumbent Tasha Dahl and candidate David Stein. While he doesn’t have prior experience serving in an elected position, he’s very confident going into his first term as the mayor of Claremont.

“My vision is to focus on the people and what they need, rather than focus on what would be good for me or what would be good for the look of the town.”

Some of his focus goals include making groceries and gas more accessible.

He’ll begin his two-year term at the start of 2025.