Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here. To see a list of available races, visit the race index.

Some local election officials are using drop boxes. Staffed drop boxes can be used to drop off a voter’s own ballot, as well as up to three other voters’ ballots if they bring an ID. Unstaffed drop boxes can only be used to drop off a voter’s own ballot. To determine what kind of drop boxes are in a voter’s area and where they are located, voters should contact their local election office.

You can vote early at your local elections office. For most elections, early voting takes place during normal business hours beginning 46 days before the election. For federal, state or county elections, early voting locations must be open the last Saturday before the election (10am-3pm), and the day before the election until 5pm. If you are not registered before going to vote early, you may register in person as long as you show a proof of residence. Some places may have additional early voting hours. Be sure to contact your local election official for more information.  

To be eligible to vote in Minnesota, you must be:

• At least 18 years old on Election Day
• A citizen of the United States
• A resident of Minnesota for 20 days immediately before Election Day
• Not under court-ordered guardianship in which the court order revokes your right to vote or not been found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote
• Not convicted of a felony, your felony sentence has expired (been completed,) or you have been discharged from your sentence.
• Not have been ruled legally incompetent by a court of law

Effective July 1, 2023, individuals convicted of a felony will have their right to vote restored upon completion of incarceration, including individuals on parole or probation. You may pre-register as a 17-year-old as long as you are 18 by the next election date (special, township, primary, general). If a special election is scheduled before you turn 18, your registration will be returned to you, and you are asked to wait until after the special election before registering again.

To register to vote by mail you need to provide your state driver’s license number or state ID number. If you have not been issued a state driver’s license or state ID, you will need to provide the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. If you have none of these, write NONE in box #10b of your voter registration application. This is required by law. To register at the polling place on Election Day, you must have authorized proof of residence. This includes:

• A valid Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, Minnesota ID card or receipt for any of these
• A valid student ID card including your photo, if your college has provided a student housing list to election officials
• A Tribal ID card that contains your picture, name, address and signature
• A valid registration in the same precinct under a different name or address
• A notice of late registration sent to you by your county auditor or city clerk
• A voter registered in the same precinct as you who can confirm your address with a signed oath
• An employee of the residential facility where you live who can confirm your address with a signed oath
• Both 1) a phot ID from the list below and 2) a current bill from the list below with your name and address in the precinct

Photo IDs (may be expired)

• Minnesota driver’s license
• Minnesota ID card
• United States passport
• United States military ID card
• Tribal ID or veteran’s card that includes a signature
• Minnesota University, College or Technical College ID card

Bills (delivered electronically or by mail)

• Utility bill due within 30 days of election day (telephone, TV, internet service, electric, gas, solid waste, sewer services, water)
• Rent or mortgage statement dated within 30 days of election day
• Current student fee statement
• Credit card or bank statement dated within 30 days

You must re-register if your name or address changes or you have not voted in more than four years.

You only need ID to vote if you have not registered before arriving at the polling precinct or if you are a first time federal voter who registered by mail and whose registration was not verified. You must show one of the same IDs as are valid on Election Day registration. Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation. If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Most polling places are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Please contact your county auditor, county election office, or township clerk for details.

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource. If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county auditor, county election office, or township clerk.

Minnesota is an “open primary” state. You can choose the party’s ballot you wish to vote. This decision does not register you with that party and it is a private decision. If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

There is no provisional voting in Minnesota, Election Day (same-day) registration is available.

If you need help with voting, you can ask the election judges at the polling place for assistance in reading or marking the ballot. You may also bring someone to help you. All polling places should be fully accessible with clearly marked accessible doors and parking spaces. If you cannot easily leave your car, you can ask for the ballot to be brought out to you. If you are unable to go to the polling place due to an illness or disability, you can vote by absentee ballot. If you have limited vision, you may ask for voter registration and absentee ballot instructions in an alternative format. If you are hearing impaired, every county and most cities will have a TDD device for questions. Materials can be provided in braille, on audio tape, on CD or in large print. To order any brochures or to order a voter registration application and instructions on how to fill it out, contact the secretary of state’s elections division at 651-215-1440 or toll free, at 1-877-600-8683. TTY: 1-800-627-3529. If you need assistance completing the election materials, you may bring a family member, friend, neighbor or anyone you choose to help you vote. You may NOT bring your employer, your union, or a candidate for office to help you vote. For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource or your state’s resource.

You have the right to take time off of work to vote. Employers cannot require you to use personal leave or vacation time and should pay you while you vote if it occurs during your regularly scheduled work time. Your employer may ask that you let them know when you will be gone. Employees should only take as much time off as needed to vote and then return to work immediately.

The voting systems used in Minnesota are optical scan, paper ballots and DRE. Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes. Paper Ballots: Paper ballots are one of the oldest ways of voting in America. They are still used in a few places on Election Day. When you come to the polling place, you will get a paper ballot from the poll worker. You take it to the voting booth, and use a pen or pencil to mark a box next to your candidate and issue choices. You then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box. Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen. There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session. Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for. You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad. You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commissions (EAC) resource.