Summary
Federal & state elections on the ballot: 8 US House members, Governor, and State Senate and House members
Ballot measures:
The Minnesota Division of Elections & Voting, part of the Secretary of State, oversees all Minnesota elections.
OnAir Post: Minnesota Votes in 2024
News
This story was first published in Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
After more than a year of virtual meetings, Bill Ekblad showed up last week at eight southern Minnesota election offices to deliver a simple message to county election chiefs and information technology directors: You don’t need to face the massive cybersecurity threat alone.
A Navy veteran who served 26 years as a cybersecurity strategist, Ekblad is Minnesota’s first cyber navigator, charged with helping local election offices defend against the ongoing menace from foreign foes.
“Savvy adversaries are finding new ways to wreak havoc, and that could be leveraged in the election world,” he said from the road. “Counties don’t have to face these challenges by themselves.”
KSTP, – August 11, 2021
The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear a case regarding a dispute over the restoration of voting rights for people with felonies on their records.
The high court agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to state law on Tuesday. Minnesota is among 15 other states that require individuals convicted with felony records to serve their time and complete any parole, probation or supervised released before they are allowed to vote again.
Only three areas in the United States — the District of Columbia, Maine and Vermont — never have those with felonies lose their right to vote, even while incarcerated.
Minnesota Reformer, – April 26, 2021
After months of delays, the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday gave states part of the critical data needed to redraw their U.S. House boundaries: an updated tally of how many people live within their borders, and the number of House districts that each state will have for the next decade.
Minnesotans — especially politicos who’ve been awaiting the news for months — breathed a sigh of relief, as the North Star State will retain its eight congressional districts, earning the 435th seat in Congress by beating out New York state by a mere 89 people.
The news from the 2020 Census count came as a surprise. Minnesota has long been projected to lose a seat due to its slow-growing population. Dropping from eight to seven congressional seats would have diminished Minnesota’s political clout and likely reduced federal spending here going forward.
About
Contact
Email: Secretary of State
Locations
Elections & Administration
180 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
Phone: 1-877-600-VOTE (8683)
Web Links
Registering to Vote
General Information
Who can register
To register in Minnesota you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be a resident of Minnesota for 20 days before the next election
- maintain residence at the address given on the registration form
- be at least 18 years old on Election Day
- if previously convicted of a felony, have completed or been discharged from your sentence
- not be under a court‑ordered guardianship in which the right to vote has been revoked
- not be found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote
How to register
- Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
Election Day registration
If you have missed the voter registration deadline, you can still register to vote and a cast a ballot at the same time during the in-person absentee voting period or on Election Day. Simply go to your regular in-person absentee voting site — or to your regular polling place — to register and vote. Contact your Local Election Office if you have any questions.
Voting Rights restoration
If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Registration Status (form)
New Registration (form)
Voting
General Information
Voting as a Student
Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.
Overseas and Military Voting
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.
Voting with Disabilities
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.
Early Voting
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.
Vote by Mail (Absentee)
Absentee ballot rules
Any registered Minnesota voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by absentee ballot.
How to get Absentee ballot
- Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
- Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
What to do next
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- A witness must sign your absentee ballot envelope to verify that your ballot was delivered blank and that you marked the ballot in private. The witness can be a notary from any state or a registered Minnesota voter.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope. Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.
Absentee ballot application deadline
- By Mail: 1 day before Election Day, but we recommend applying at least 7 days before Election Day.
Absentee ballot submission deadline
- Any registered Minnesota voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by absentee ballot.
Absentee Ballot (form)
Elections Alert (Form)
Pollling Information
Polling Place Locator
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 clerk.
Polling Place Hours
Most polling places are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Please contact your county auditor or township clerk for details.
Poll Worker Information
In order to be a poll worker in Minnesota, you must:
- Be registered to vote in Minnesota
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be entitled to compensation, but may decline it.
- Be a resident of the state 20 days prior to the election
- Complete required training
- Students 16 years or older who are registered in High school may work with written permission to be absent from school from a parent or guardian
To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Division of Elections & Voting
As Minnesota Secretary of State, I’m honored to serve as the state’s chief elections official. Minnesotans have always understood that elections truly matter; that our vote is our voice. That’s why we have consistently been national leaders in voter turnout, election reform, and ballot integrity. I am committed to protecting and strengthening the security and fairness of our elections process. If you believe that voter suppression, discrimination, fraud, or other election irregularities have occurred, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State will make sure the proper authorities are aware and can determine whether to follow up on your concerns. Please see below for more information about specific types of complaints but if, after reviewing that, you still have questions, comments, or information about election security, data privacy, or about possible improper election activities, I hope you’ll feel free to contact our office by phone at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or by email at elections.dept@state.mn.us.
Thank you,
Steve Simon
Minnesota Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Source: Website
Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. He was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, and as Minnesota’s chief elections administrator pledged in his inaugural address to “work with anyone, of any political affiliation, from any part of our state” to protect, defend, and strengthen the right to vote in Minnesota.
As Secretary of State, he partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair.
Simon also oversees a wide range of services for Minnesota businesses and administers the “Safe at Home” address confidentiality program for people whose personal safety is at risk, often due to physical abuse or threats.
His goals as Minnesota’s Secretary of State are straightforward: expand access to voting, remove barriers to voting, make business services as streamlined as possible, strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and, most importantly, be a Secretary of State for all Minnesotans.
Before being elected Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Simon served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for ten years representing the communities of St. Louis Park and Hopkins.
Simon spent much of his time in the state legislature immersed in elections issues, including serving as the chair of the House Elections Committee in 2013 and 2014. He played a lead role in many of the election reforms that Minnesota has embraced over the last several years, including no-excuse absentee voting, online voter registration, and easier access to voting for Minnesotans overseas, including those in the military.
Simon also served as Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota and worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years. He was named a “Rising Star” four different times by Law & Politics magazine and has received many other recognitions for his work on behalf of Minnesotans, including the “Outstanding Legislator Award” from the Minnesota School Board Association and the “Civic Leadership Award” from the Citizens League.
Simon grew up in St. Louis Park and Hopkins. He graduated with a B.A in Political Science from Tufts University in Massachusetts in 1992, and earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996. Simon and his wife Leia live in Hopkins with their two children, Hannah and Noah, and rescue dog, Hugo.
