Brennan Center for Justice

Elections Division:  Metro Area – 651-215-1440 Greater MN - 877-600-VOTE

I moved from the address at which I am registered.  What should I do?

I moved from another state.

If you moved to Minnesota from another state, you must register to vote in Minnesota to be able to vote.[1]  You may register at the polls on Election Day if you take an oath and provide proof of residence.[2]  If you do not register on the day of the election or vote by absentee ballot, the last day to register in time to vote in the next election is twenty-one days before the election.[3]

If you moved from out of state, you are only eligible to register if you have been a resident of Minnesota for at least twenty days prior to the day of the election.[4]  But under federal law, if you move within thirty days of a presidential election, you are allowed to vote for President and Vice President in your former state of residence, either in person or by absentee ballot.[5]

I moved within Minnesota.

If you moved to a new address within the state, you should complete a new registration form to update your registration records.  That form is available here: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=204.

The election is right around the corner and I never updated my registration from my previous address.  What should I do?

Minnesota allows voters to register to vote on Election Day.[6]  If you moved you need to update your voter registration information by filling out a voter registration application.[7]

You can update your registration and vote at your new polling place on Election Day by completing a registration application, making an oath, and providing proof of residence.  The following methods can be used to prove residence:

• Show a valid Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit or identification card
• Show a current valid photo student identification card from a certified post secondary educational institution in Minnesota
• Show a current student fee statement with the student’s valid address in the precinct and a picture identification card
• Show a tribal identification card with photo and signature
• Show a notice of late registration from a county auditor or city clerk
• Show a utility bill due within 30 days of Election Day and a photo identification such as a Minnesota driver’s license, identification card, student identification card, or passport (can be expired)
• Have a registered voter in the same precinct confirm the voter’s address with a signed oath
• Have an employee of the voter’s residential facility confirm the voter’s address with a signed oath.[8]

[1] Minn. Stat. Ann. § 201.018 (West 2010).

[2] Minn. Stat. Ann. § 201.061(3).

[3] Minn. Stat. Ann. § 201.054(1)–(3).

[4] Minn. Stat. Ann. § 201.014(1)(c).

[5] 42 U.S.C. § 1973aa-1(e) (2010).

[6] Minn. Stat. Ann. § 201.061(3) (West 2010).

[7] See Minn. Stat. Ann. §§ 201.016(1), 200.031(d); Minnesota Secretary of State, Register to Vote, http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=204 (last visited June 2, 2010).

[8] Minn. Stat. Ann. § 201.061(3); Minn. R. 8200.5100 (2010).