Voting In Minnesota
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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.
This article includes the following information about voting policies in Minnesota:
- Voter registration details, including deadlines and eligibility requirements.
- In-person voting details, including identification requirements, poll times, and early voting provisions.
- Absentee/mail-in voting deadlines and rules.
- Details about voting rules for people convicted of a felony.
- Contact information for election agencies.
Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.
For information on elections happening this year, click here.
Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.
Voter registration[edit]
Eligibility and registration details[edit]
- 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.[1][2]
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.[1]
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.[2]
In-person voting[edit]
Poll times[edit]
- 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.[3]
Voter identification[edit]
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Minnesota does not generally require registered voters to present identification while voting.[4]
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.
The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.[5]
These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.
Early voting[edit]
- 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[edit]
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
There are no eligibility requirements to vote absentee in Minnesota.[6]
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.[7]
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.[2]
Local election officials[edit]
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. |
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony[edit]
- See also: Voting rights 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.[8]
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.[9]
Election administration agencies[edit]
Election agencies[edit]
- 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
- Click here for a list
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
Explore election legislation with Ballotpedia[edit]
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.
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Ballotpedia's election coverage[edit]
- 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[edit]
- State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
- Voter ID in Minnesota
- Election administration in Minnesota
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Minnesota
Elections in Minnesota[edit]
- 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[edit]
- Official state election website
- U.S. Vote Foundation election official lookup tool
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Minnesota State Legislature, "House File 3," accessed June 6, 2023
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Voting Hours," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Do I Need to Bring ID?" accessed October 7, 2025
- ↑ Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Law Restoring Voting Rights to 55,000 Minnesotans With Felony Convictions Upheld by State Supreme Court," August 7, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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