Your guide to voting in Minnesota: Registration, absentee ballots and general election details

General Election Day is Nov. 5, but Minnesota has multiple options for early voting.

Early voting started on Sept. 20, and in the first week the Secretary of State reported 431,502 ballots were sent and 32,788 were accepted.

Within two weeks of early voting opening, there have been over 107,000 ballots received and accepted. And as of Oct. 2, the Secretary of State’s office reported 522,784 voters have requested mail-in or absentee ballots.

“Comparison to the last presidential election is a little bit unfair, because that was the COVID presidential election, right? And so a ton more people in Minnesota and all across the country were choosing to vote absentee,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said.

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“Perhaps the most fair comparison would be eight years ago — 2016 — a more normal election in terms of there not being a once-in-a-century pandemic, and we are now double at this point where we were in 2016. So 107,000 accepted ballots is roughly double where it was at the same point eight years ago, not as high as it was in 2020 but that was an exceptional circumstance.”

Since the launch of our Voter Guide, we asked MPR News readers what questions they have regarding the general election. Below are the most frequently asked questions we received and other resources to help you be more informed. This is an ongoing list and will be updated as more information becomes available

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Party affiliation | Governor | Constitutional amendment | Requirements for running | Electors

How to register as a first-time voter? — Becky Finkle

You should register to vote with the address you currently consider “home.” If you will be away from your registered address on Election Day, you are able to request an absentee ballot be sent to your current address.

More information about registering to vote without a permanent address can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

To register online, visit the Secretary of State’s website. When registering, you will need to provide your name, date of birth, Minnesota ID number and email.

In Minnesota, voters are able to register anytime through Election Day.

The deadline to register online is 11:59 p.m. 21 days before Election Day
The deadline to register on paper is 5 p.m. 21 days before Election Day
Within 20 days before the election, you can submit a registration form, but it will not be processed until after Election Day

You can always register when you vote, either at a polling place, or when voting absentee.

If you are registering to vote at a polling place on Election Day, you will need to provide one proof of residence. Examples of proof of residence can be found on the Secretary of State’s website

To check your voter registration status, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

How can I vote online? — Ann Peterson

Voting online is not available. However, you can register or check your registration online. Here’s what you will need:

A Minnesota driver’s license, Minnesota identification card or the last four digits of your Social Security number
An email address
And to be eligible to vote in Minnesota
If your name or address changes, you will need to re-register

You can apply for an absentee ballot online. This will allow you to vote early if you are abroad or unable to go in person on election day. You can apply for an absentee ballot anytime before Election Day, but allow time for election officials to mail the ballot. An absentee ballot will not be accepted if it is received after Election Day, on Nov. 5.

“Remember, Minnesota is a state that requires that someone who’s voting by mail, by absentee ballot, get their ballot back by election day,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon. “There is some confusion out there because there are a number of states, including big ones like California, where the rule is that as long as it’s postmarked by election day, then you’re good to go. But that's not the law in Minnesota.”

It can be returned by mail, fax, email or in person. If dropping it off in person, you must return it to the election office that sent the ballot.

How do I get an election ballot to print? — Shirley Fritz

You cannot print an official ballot, but you can view and print a sample ballot. This will allow you to see how it will be organized on the official ballot you receive on election day at your polling place or by mail through absentee.

I want to vote early. Can I just walk in, get a ballot and vote? — Karen Strane

Early voting in Minnesota began on Sept. 20.

“There are two ways during this early voting period to vote. One is to vote in person, absentee, where you go to, typically a city hall or a county office and the like and you can find out where that place is for you at, mnvotes.gov,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon. “The other way, of course, is to order the ballot to come to you and vote absentee, early by mail, same website: mnvotes.gov. The ballot can come to you.”

All voters have at least one location in their county where they can vote early with a ballot they received through the mail. Some cities also have early in-person early voting locations. These locations are usually different from regular polling places.

To learn where the early voting locations are for your county and the hours of operation, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

When does direct balloting begin? — Terrence Sherman

Direct balloting is the optional process local election offices can choose to use where a voter can insert their absentee ballot directly into a ballot tabulator.

As of June 1, 2023, voters can place their absentee ballot into a tabulator 18 days before election day, which is an extension from the original 7-day window.

Direct balloting opens Oct. 18 and the results will not be processed until after the closing of polls on Election Day.

How do I get information on the judges running for office? — Melissa Wiger

Use our Build Your Ballot tool, type in your address and you will see responses and information from candidates in races on your ballot.

You can also take a look at all the judicial races on our Voter Guide.

Can you vote for Democrat if you are registered Republican and Republican for others? — Ranee Cliff

Yes. Federal law establishes it doesn’t matter if you are registered in one political party or another or who you voted for in the primary election — citizens can vote for any candidate from any party in the general election.

So, for instance, if you are a registered Republican and voted for the Republican party in the primaries, you are free to vote Democrat or third party on Nov. 5.

With Walz running as vice president, the Lt. Gov. will take over for his duration but how long is that? When do we vote again for governor? — N

According to Minnesota statutes, if Gov. Tim Walz becomes the next vice president, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become Minnesota’s governor and Bobby Champion, president of the senate, would become lieutenant governor.

Both would for the remainder of the term which is until January 2027. Minnesota will hold an election for governor and lieutenant governor on Nov. 3, 2026.

What is the difference between the state constitutional amendment on the ballot and the current state constitution? — Elaine Hoffman

You’ll see one proposed constitutional amendment on your ballot this general election. It is called “Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Renewal” and proposes to slightly modify the existing provisions regarding the proceeds of the Minnesota State Lottery.

Currently 40 percent of the profits go to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. This fund supports projects to protect the state’s natural resources.

This trust fund is set to expire in 2025. The proposed amendment would extend it until 2050, as well as introduce new guidelines. This amendment also presents the significant change that 1.5 percent of the lottery proceeds would go towards projects in underserved communities, such as rural or BIPOC communities.

It also ensures that the funds cannot be used for wastewater infrastructure, something that has been a hot topic politically.

If the amendment is not approved, the trust fund will expire and the revenue from the lottery will go into the general fund and spending choices will be decided by the state Legislature.

Why can’t verifiable lies and criminal convictions simply disqualify a person from running for office? — Steve Voiles

Three amendments in the United States Constitution apply to this question:

Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5
To be eligible to be President, a person must be a natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States at the time the Constitution was adopted. They must also be at least 35 years old.
14th Amendment, Section 3
A person cannot hold office if they have taken an oath to support the Constitution but have engaged in rebellion against it. This includes serving in Congress, as a state officer, or as a member of a state legislature.
Senate
A person cannot be a Senator unless they are at least 30 years old, have been a citizen for at least nine years, and are a resident of the state they represent.

Are citizens allowed to know the names of our electors in Minnesota? — Cynthia Johnston

Yes, you are allowed to know the name of electors in Minnesota. At the link below, there is a downloadable file. The electors’ names are listed.

On this page you will find the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) electors, after downloading the link at the green button, it will be on page two.

On this page you will find the Republican Party of Minnesota electors, after downloading the document at the green button, it will be on page four.