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Election administration in Minnesota
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Minnesota:
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Minnesota, most polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. However, some smaller municipalities may open their polls as late as 10:00 a.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]
Voter registration
- Check your voter registration status here.
Voter pre-registration is available in Minnesota beginning at age 16. An individual must be 18 years old on Election Day in order to vote. To register to vote in Minnesota, an individual must be a United States citizen who has resided in the state for the 20-day period preceding the election.[3][4]
An individual must register to vote at least 21 days before Election Day or on Election Day at a polling place. An individual may register to vote by completing a registration application and submitting it by mail or in-person to a local election official. An individual can also register online. To register at a polling place on Election Day, an individual must present valid identification.[3]
The Minnesota voter registration application includes an option to join a permanent absentee voter list, which means the voter will automatically be sent an absentee/mail-in ballot for every election.[4]
Automatic registration
Minnesota practices automatic voter registration.[4]
Automatic voter registration took effect on June 1, 2023, as a result of HF 3, which was signed into law by Governor Tim Walz (D) on May 5, 2023.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Minnesota has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Minnesota allows for same-day voter registration.[5]
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Minnesota, you must be a resident of the state for at least 20 days.[3]
Verification of citizenship
As of October 2024, Minnesota did not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "giving false information is a felony punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment or a fine of not more than $10,000, or both."[6]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[7] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The Minnesota Secretary of State allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Minnesota permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee/mail-in voting
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
There are no eligibility requirements to vote absentee in Minnesota.[8]
There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. A completed ballot must be returned on or before Election Day for it to be counted.[9]
Prospective voters may select an option on the Minnesota voter registration application to join a permanent absentee voter list, which means they will automatically be sent an absentee/mail-in ballot for every election.[4]
Returning absentee/mail-in ballots
Absentee/mail-in ballots must be returned by election day. Ballots can be mailed to the voter’s local election office.
Ballots can also be returned in person no later than 8 p.m. on election day to the election office that sent the ballot.[10]
According to state law, a "voter may designate an agent to deliver in person the sealed absentee ballot return envelope to the county auditor or municipal clerk or to deposit the return envelope in the mail."[11]
Twenty states allow anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions, while 16 states allow anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot. Four states allow only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions, and two states required voters to return their ballots by mail. Eight states and D.C. do not specify who may return ballots.
Signature requirements and cure provisions
Minnesota has a cure provision, or a law providing for a process where election officials follow up with voters whose absentee/mail-in ballots contain a signature discrepancy or lack the requisite signatures. "If a ballot is rejected more than five days before election day a replacement ballot is mailed; if rejected within five days, election officials must contact the voter via telephone or email to provide options for voting a replacement ballot," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The voter can then request a replacement absentee/mail-in ballot.[12]
Thirty-three states have laws that include cure provisions, while 17 states do not. One state, Pennsylvania, allows counties to establish a cure process.
Was your absentee/mail-in ballot counted?
Use the Absentee Ballot Search tool provided by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office to check the status of your absentee/mail-in ballot.
Voter identification requirements
- See also: Voter ID in Minnesota
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Minnesota does not require registered voters to present identification while voting.[13]
If you are registering to vote at the polls or have not voted in at least four years, you will need to bring proof of residency to the polls. Click here to see what qualifies as acceptable proof of residency.
Thirty-five states require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 require voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 12 accept other forms of identification. The remaining 15 states do not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
Provisional ballot rules
Minnesota does not have a provisional voting process.
Federal law requires most states to provide for a provisional balloting process (states that had enacted same-day voter registration processes as of 1993 were exempted from this requirement). As of September 2019, every state except Idaho, Minnesota, and New Hampshire had established a provisional voting process.[14]
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in Minnesota
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Minnesota utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[15][16][17]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Time off work for voting
In Minnesota, employees have the right to paid leave, so that they may, "...appear at the...polling place, cast a ballot, and return to work on the day of that election." Violations of this provision constitute a misdemeanor. State law said:[18]
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Twenty-eight states require employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies vary as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
In Minnesota, voting rights are restored to people convicted of a felony upon completion of their prison sentence.
On March 3, 2023, Governor Tim Walz (D) signed House File 28 into law, restoring voting rights to Minnesotans convicted of a felony that are still on parole, probation, or supervised release. Following a legal challenge, the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law on August 7, 2024.[20]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[15]
Voter list maintenance
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[21] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[22]
When names can be removed from the voter list
Minnesota law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:[23]
- requests in writing to be removed from the list
- dies
- is determined by a court to be “legally incompetent”
- is placed under “guardianship” and has their voting rights revoked by a court order
- is convicted of a felony.
Inactive voter list rules
If any nonforwardable mail to a registered voter from an election official is returned as undeliverable with a permanent forwarding address within the state, Minnesota law requires the county auditor to place the voter on an inactive voter list. If the mail is returned as undeliverable with a permanent forwarding address outside the state, the county auditor is to send a notice to the forwardable address. If the voter fails to respond within 21 days to clarify their address, they are placed on the inactive list.[24]
After every election, the Secretary of State is required to place all voters who have not voted in the preceding four years on the inactive list.
Inactive voters must re-register to vote in order to be considered active.[25]
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."[26]
Twenty-five states are participating members in the ERIC program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have joined and participated in ERIC at some point.[27]
As of August 2023, Minnesota was participating in the ERIC program.
Post-election auditing
Minnesota state law requires post-election audits. County election officials audit randomly selected precincts. For smaller counties, at least two precincts are chosen. For larger counties, four precincts or 3 percent of precincts, whichever is greater, are chosen. "If there’s a difference greater than 0.5% (or greater than 2 votes in a precinct where 400 or fewer ballots were cast) an additional review of at least 3 precincts is conducted. If there is still a discrepancy of the sort listed above, all precincts must be reviewed within that district. If the audit results show an error in 10% of the total votes cast in the election in one or more counties, a manual recount of all districts where the error occurred is ordered." The audit must be completed before the canvass.[28]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[29][30]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia require some form of post-election audit by law, excluding states with pilot programs. Of these, 39 states and the District of Columbia require traditional post-election audits, while three states require risk-limiting post-election audits, and three states require some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.[16][29]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Minnesota.
- Minnesota Amendment 2, Require Photo Voter Identification Measure (2012)
- Minnesota State Canvassing Board, Amendment 3 (1873)
- Minnesota State Canvassing Board, Amendment 3 (1877)
- Minnesota System for Biennial Elections, Amendment 2 (1883)
- Minnesota Clarify Voting Requirements, Amendment 3 (1952)
- Minnesota Voting Location and Indian Voting Rights, Amendment 4 (1960)
- Minnesota Age Requirements for Voting and Holding Office, Amendment 1 (1970)
- Minnesota Campaign Spending Limits, Amendment 1 (1980)
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Minnesota. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Explore election legislation with Ballotpedia
- Try Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation TrackerBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker provides daily updates on legislative activity related to election policy in all 50 states.
Our election policy experts translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries. And because it's from Ballotpedia, our legislation tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan. - Read Ballotpedia's State of Election Administration Legislation ReportsBallotpedia publishes regular analysis of election administration legislation, including three full reports per year, providing ongoing coverage of legislative activity affecting election policy in each state.
These reports deliver insights into partisan priorities, dive deep into notable trends, and highlight activity in key states.
Subscribe to The Ballot BulletinThe Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy.
The newsletter tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballot access
In order to get on the ballot in Minnesota, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Minnesota. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Minnesota
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Minnesota's eight United States Representatives and 201 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[31][32][33][34]
Minnesota was apportioned eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Minnesota after the 2020 census.
State process
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In Minnesota, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Minnesota State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[35]
The Minnesota Constitution requires "that state Senate districts be contiguous, and that Representative districts be nested within Senate districts." State statutes apply contiguity requirements to all congressional and state legislative districts. Furthermore, state statutes stipulate that political subdivisions should not be divided "more than necessary."[35]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Minnesota can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Minnesota County Election Officials
Minnesota Secretary of State
- Veterans Service Building, Suite 210
- 20 W 12th St
- Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
- Phone: 651-215-1440
- Toll free: 1-877-600-8683
- Email: secretary.state@state.mn.us
- Website: https://www.sos.state.mn.us
Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
- 190 Centennial Office Building
- 658 Cedar Street
- St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1603
- Phone: 651-539-1180
- Toll free: 800-657-3889
- Fax: 651-539-1196
- Email: cf.board@state.mn.us
- Website: https://cfb.mn.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Ballotpedia's election coverage
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2026
- Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2026
- Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2026
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2026
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2026
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2026
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2026
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2026
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2026
See also
- State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
- Factors affecting the speed of ballot counting and delivery of unofficial election results
- Voting in Minnesota
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Minnesota
- Redistricting in Minnesota
Elections in Minnesota
- Minnesota elections, 2025
- Minnesota elections, 2024
- Minnesota elections, 2023
- Minnesota elections, 2022
- Minnesota elections, 2021
- Minnesota elections, 2020
- Minnesota elections, 2019
- Minnesota elections, 2018
- Minnesota elections, 2017
- Minnesota elections, 2016
- Minnesota elections, 2015
- Minnesota elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Voting Hours," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Minnesota State Legislature, "House File 3," accessed June 6, 2023
- ↑ NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 27, 2024
- ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Star Tribune, "No excuse needed to vote absentee in Minnesota," June 22, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota Absentee Ballot Application," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Vote Early By Mail," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Ballot Collection Laws," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "States With Signature Cure Processes," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Do I Need to Bring ID?" accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Provisional Ballots," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed April 25, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "research" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State,"PRIMARY ELECTION," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ Minnesota Legislature Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "2023 Minnesota Statutes Sec. 204C.04," accessed October 3, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Law Restoring Voting Rights to 55,000 Minnesotans With Felony Convictions Upheld by State Supreme Court," August 7, 2024
- ↑ As of May 2024, the Justice Department notes, "Six States (Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are exempt from the NVRA because, on and after August 1, 1994, they either had no voter-registration requirements or had election-day voter registration at polling places with respect to elections for federal office."
- ↑ The United States Department of Justice, "The National Voter Registration Act of 1993," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ 2019 Minnesota Statutes, "201.12, 201.13, 201.145, and 201.171," accessed August 27, 2024
- ↑ 2019 Minnesota Statutes, "201.12," accessed August 27, 2024
- ↑ 2019 Minnesota Statutes, "201.171," October 6, 2019
- ↑ ERIC, "FAQ," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ ERIC, "Who We Are," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed April 25, 2023
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Election Assistance Commission, "Election Audits Across the United States," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 All About Redistricting, "Minnesota," accessed May 4, 2015
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