What you need to know about campaigning and voting in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – As of last Friday, voters already began casting their ballots for November's elections in Minnesota, which is tied for the longest early voting periods in the country at 46 days.

Minnesotans can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail, or vote absentee in-person until November 7. Otherwise, voters can show up on Election Day at their polling place, which might have changed due to redistricting, a once-in-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries.

Who is on my ballot?

There are several constitutional offices, which represent Minnesotans statewide, up for re-election this year, including the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state auditor. Every state legislative seat and all eight Congressional District seats are on the ballot, among other local races.

You can find your sample ballot using your address here.

Can I track my absentee ballot?

Yes. You can do that on the secretary of state's website here. You'll need your name, birthday and ID number you included on the ballot.

All towns with fewer than 400 registered voters located outside of the Twin Cities-metro can choose to hold elections by mail. More than 150,000 Minnesotans are impacted by policies like this. 

"It's [those cities'] choice—not anyone else's—to ditch polling places. Sometimes that's done for cost reasons and sometimes for other reasons," said Steve Simon, secretary of state, in a WCCO interview Sunday. "It means all registered voters in those particular jurisdictions—they get their ballots mailed to them automatically if they're registered."

Many people voted absentee in 2020 due to the pandemic. Some rules were waived during that time, but are in effect again this year.  

What if I voted absentee but want to change my vote?

In Minnesota, you can cancel your ballot up until one week before Election Day. To do so, contact your local election office, according to the secretary of state's website.

Where is my polling place?

You can enter your address here. You might have also received a notice in the mail from your local elections office.

Where I can vote early in-person?

Minnesota voters can cast their ballots early in-person at their county election office. Some cities and counties have additional sites for early in-person voting, which you can find here. In Hennepin County, for example, there are two dozen additional sites, many of which are at local government centers in metro cities.

What are rules about campaigning near polling places?

Campaigns can send mail and knock on your door and leave fliers, but state law prohibits campaign materials, signs, and solicitation of voters within 100 feet of a polling place. You also can't wear campaign tee shirts and buttons when you go to vote.

"The idea being – we don't want anyone feeling pressure going into the ballot box," said David Schultz, an election law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Schultz added that candidates and campaign staff have the right to knock on your door to talk to you in the days leading up to an election—even if there's a "no soliciting" sign on your property.

"Do they have the right to knock on the door, to drop off literature or to talk to you? Yes. They have, unequivocally, a First Amendment guaranteed right to do that," he said. "That sign doesn't really mean anything – it's a statement by you to say I don't want to be bothered, but in terms of legal significance? Not really."