If you've never registered, or if you've moved or it's been more than four years since you last voted, you can get registered now.
Online registration is fast and easy. You need either your Minnesota Driver's License or ID card number, or the last four digits of your social security number in order to complete your registration online.
Other Registration Options
You can also register by completing and submitting a paper voter registration application. Registration forms are available in multiple languages, as well as in large print and via other accessible options.
Preregistration closes 20 days before each election. If you haven't preregistered, you can also register when you vote, either at your polling place on Election Day or when voting early. You need to provide an accepted proof of residence when registering when you vote.
FAQs About Preregistering to Vote
What address should I use on my registration form?
You must be registered to vote at your current address. It is up to you as the voter to determine what you consider your residence to be, as the address you consider home. Generally this will be where you sleep at night. If you are temporarily away from home but intend to return, you can still register and vote from the address you consider to be your home and where you intend to return.
What if I don't have a permanent address?
Register and vote based on where you consider your home to be at the time you vote. Your current residence is generally where you sleep at night, so if you do not have a permanent address and you are sleeping at a friend’s house, a shelter, or outside, that is your voting residence. If you sleep outside or someplace without a street address, write a description of the location on line four of the voter registration application.
What if I don't receive mail where I live?
If you currently are staying at an address or location where you cannot receive mail, but that is your voting residence, you still need to put that address or location on your voter registration application to be properly registered. If you do not receive mail at your voting residence, your voter record may be marked ‘challenged’ because the county could not confirm your address through a postal verification. You will still be able to vote. When you go to vote, you will be asked to swear an oath or affirm that you are living at your voting residence.
Why should I preregister if I can just register when I go to vote?
Preregistering will save you time when you go to vote. You will be able to skip the additional line and wait to register before getting your ballot. If your voter registration is current and active, you do not need to bring identification or proof of address with you when voting.
How do I register if I'm worried about my personal safety and need to keep my address private?
Your name and address are public information when you register to vote. There are some options to keep this information private.
If you have very high safety needs, you can enroll in the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program through the Office of Secretary of State. Program participants have a post office box assigned to use in place of your address, with all mail forwarded by the program, including absentee ballots for voting. Names and addresses of participants are not shared with county election offices and are not public.
You can also submit a Request to Withhold Voter Information from Public Information form to your county election office. Your name and address will still appear on the list of voters at the polling place on Election Day, but will not be available to members of the public.
