By Steve Simon

In Minnesota, we take pride in our elections — and we are nationally recognized as a leader in this area. We consistently earn the top spot in voter turnout nationwide, and in 2026 we earned the No. 1 ranking in election administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Performance Index. We credit these achievements to Minnesota’s pro-voting culture and our strong election laws that balance accessibility with security.

The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State is contributing to that culture through a campaign called “Trusted Elections, Locally Crafted.” Its purpose is to boost confidence in elections by reminding people that as much as we talk about ballots, machines, laws, and procedures, every part of the system is administered by real people — your friends and neighbors — who are following the law and doing what is right. They perform this painstaking work with the same care they bring to anything they value, just as election officials have done for generations.

Cities play a crucial role in that local administration, and I am incredibly grateful for the partnership between our office and local governments to make our elections run smoothly and with so much professionalism.

You may know that it takes more than 30,000 Minnesotans, including government officials and election judges, to run a statewide election. To ensure that our elections are conducted consistently and fairly — and that results are accurate and secure — a wide range of state and federal laws govern every stage of the process before, during, and after Election Day.

Voter registration

Under state law, every voter in Minnesota must register before they cast a ballot. To be eligible, a person must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a Minnesota resident for at least 20 days, not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, and must not have had their voting rights revoked by a judge.

There are also laws that require state and local election officials to carefully maintain voter registration records by verifying eligibility at the time of registration and moving forward. The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State created and maintains a centralized, secure database — the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) — to keep track of voter records. Local officials are responsible for updating those records using state and federal data sources that help verify voter eligibility.

Ballots, equipment, and testing

State law requires Minnesota to use paper ballots for all elections and electronic tabulators that meet federal and state certification standards. Before each election, local administrators are required to test all voting equipment to ensure it is functioning properly, accurately counting votes, and detecting errors such as overvotes. In addition, a sampling of the equipment is tested a second time publicly during public accuracy tests.

Absentee and mail ballot security

Minnesota law expands access to voting so every eligible voter can cast a ballot, including those serving overseas or living with a disability. Here, all voters can choose to vote by mail or early in-person starting 46 days before an election. Minnesotans can apply for absentee ballots at mnvotes.gov/absentee and track their ballot from application through acceptance at mnvotes.gov/track.

To maintain the highest level of security, each absentee ballot is tied to a unique voter record in SVRS to prevent duplicate voting. Absentee ballots are reviewed by a ballot board made up of local election workers and party‑balanced election judges, who verify the voter’s identity and eligibility before accepting the ballot. Once a ballot is accepted, SVRS immediately updates the voter’s record, and any subsequent ballot requests are flagged. Ballots are securely stored, with strict access logs tracking who enters ballot storage rooms.

Election Day security and process

There are also laws that clearly define who may enter one of Minnesota’s more than 2,000 polling places on Election Day. Only authorized individuals — voters, election officials, party challengers, and members of the media — may enter a polling location. Law enforcement may enter only to vote or if summoned by an election judge in an emergency. Minnesota law also prohibits electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place to help ensure calm, neutral voting environments.

At all times, state law also requires voting equipment to be protected by locks, seals, and detailed chain‑of‑custody procedures.

Many polling place duties must be performed by two election judges representing different political parties. After the polls close, election judges reconcile the number of ballots with the number of voters, print and sign official results tapes, and return all materials to their clerk or auditor. Absentee ballots are combined with polling place ballots, and unofficial results are uploaded to the statewide reporting system and published at mnvotes.gov. Results remain unofficial until certified by the canvassing board.

Post‑election reviews

State law also requires every county to conduct a post‑election review — a hand-count audit of ballots in randomly selected precincts. The results of the hand count are publicly available and compared with election night totals, to verify that tabulation equipment accurately counted the ballots cast.

All in all, Minnesota’s combination of strong election laws and a vibrant culture of civic participation have made our state the gold standard for American elections. I want to emphasize that none of that would be possible without the ongoing partnership among cities, counties, and the state — a partnership I deeply appreciate as we work to ensure that Minnesotan voters can make their voices heard.

Steve Simon is the Minnesota secretary of state.