What are the age and residency requirements to register to vote in Minnesota?
Executive summary
Minnesota requires voters to be U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old on Election Day and who have been residents of the state for at least 20 days immediately preceding that election [1] [2]. The state also permits pre-registration at younger ages and provides multiple ways to prove residency when registering, including same‑day (Election Day) registration with acceptable proof [3] [4] [5].
1. Who must be 18 on Election Day — and who can sign up earlier
The clear statutory baseline is that an individual must be 18 years old on Election Day to cast a ballot in Minnesota [1] [2], but Minnesota allows voter pre‑registration beginning at age 16, enabling younger residents to be placed on rolls so they are ready when they turn 18 [3] [2]. Local election offices and state guidance reiterate that registration for first‑time voters is available well before Election Day, and municipal pages explicitly state the 16‑to‑register / 18‑to‑vote framework [3] [2].
2. The 20‑day residency rule and how it’s applied
To be eligible to vote, a person must have maintained residence in Minnesota for at least 20 days immediately preceding the election [1] [6]. County and city election pages mirror the Secretary of State’s standard: the 20‑day window determines eligibility and applies to nearly all voters, including students and people in residential facilities, though specialized guidance exists about how a residence is determined for those situations [6] [7].
3. Proving residence at registration — documents and vouching
Minnesota law and the Secretary of State set out multiple ways to prove residence when registering or updating registration: a Minnesota driver’s license or ID, documents approved by the Secretary of State, student fee statements with picture ID, or a sworn vouching by a registered precinct voter or qualifying residential facility employee [4]. Practical guidance from county and city sites also lists utility bills, lease agreements, and other current documents as acceptable proofs when registering at the polling place on Election Day [8] [9].
4. Same‑day registration, automatic updates, and identity verification nuances
Minnesota permits in‑person registration up to and including Election Day, provided the registrant proves residence by one of the statutorily approved documents or through vouching [10] [4]. The state also operates systems that can automatically update registrations when a voter obtains or updates a Minnesota driver’s license or ID, and some jurisdictions note that registrations are updated via USPS change‑of‑address matches [9] [11]. While Minnesota generally does not require ID at the ballot box in routine circumstances, voters registering at the polls or who have not voted in four years must show proof of residence [5].
5. Disqualifications, practical exceptions, and reporting limits
Minnesota disqualifies only those currently incarcerated for a felony conviction from voting; other past convictions do not bar registration [1]. Special programs — such as Safe at Home address confidentiality or tribal identification rules — and procedures for overseas and military voters alter how residence and identity are handled in practice, and official sources provide separate instructions for those circumstances [12] [11] [4]. Reporting is limited to the provided sources: the law’s text and state/local guidance confirm age and 20‑day residency requirements and spell out proof‑of‑residence options, but these sources do not give every administrative detail about how election judges apply vouching in every precinct or how frequently automatic updates succeed, so those operational questions require checking county auditors or Secretary of State guidance for local practice [4] [9].