Upcoming Elections

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• March 14, 2023 - March township elections (absentee voting begins 46 or 30 days prior depending on township)

• May 9, 2023 - ISD 196 (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan) bond referendum special election (absentee voting begins March 24)

• August 8, 2023 - Municipal and school district primary elections (absentee voting begins June 23)

• November 7, 2023 - Municipal and school district general elections (absentee voting begins September 22)

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Register to Vote

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You can verify whether you are registered to vote at your current address here. You will need to re-register if you move to a new address, change your name, or do not vote throughout a four-year period. Most voters can register to vote online. Voters may also register to vote via a paper application that can be mailed or delivered to the Minnesota Secretary of State's office in St. Paul or to the voter's county elections office. Dakota County's elections office is in Hastings and Scott County's elections office is in Shakopee. If you are not registered or need to re-register, there are less than 21 days before the election, and you intend to vote in person on election day, you will need to register to vote at your polling place immediately prior to voting. Instructions for election-day registration are available here and a guide with pictures of what you will need to bring to the polling place is available here. If you cast an absentee ballot you may register to vote at the same time as mailing or casting the ballot in person, even if doing so less than 21 days prior to election day, but if the voter registration application and completed absentee ballot is being returned by mail or will be deposited in a drop box, you will need to obtain a witness signature.

 

Voters may seek assistance or raise concerns regarding voting and registering to vote by contacting the MN Secretary of State's office by phone at 877-600-VOTE (8683) or via email at secretary.state@state.mn.us. Dakota County voters may contact the Dakota County Elections office by phone at 651-438-4305 or via email at elections@co.dakota.mn.us. Scott County voters may contact the Scott County Elections Department by phone at 952-496-8560 or via email at scelections@co.scott.mn.us.

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For those who are assisting others seeking to register online, the Minnesota Secretary of State's office has created a PowerPoint presentation that will walk you and those registering through the process.

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How to Vote

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Voters choosing to cast their ballot in person on election day may find their voting location via the polling place finder. For most elections, voters will also be able to access a sample ballot shortly before election day.​

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With the exception of some special elections and township elections, absentee voting begins 46 days prior to each election. Voters may request an absentee ballot online or complete an absentee ballot application at a location that offers in-person absentee voting.

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Voters do not need to have or provide a reason for voting absentee. Absentee ballots may be cast by mail and voters do not need to be registered to vote prior to requesting an absentee ballot. If a voter needs to register or update their registration, they can do so by including a voter registration application with their mailed absentee ballot, which will require a witness signature. Absentee ballots that are returned by mail must be received no later than election day by the voter's county elections office (or municipal elections office, if that office provided the ballot).

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A voter returning an absentee ballot by mail or via a drop box is required to obtain a witness signature. Voters returning absentee ballots by mail are encouraged to do so as early as possible to ensure their ballots are received in time and allow time to be notified if an absentee ballot returned by mail is rejected. Voters can track their absentee ballot here. Special provisions apply to anyone voting absentee who is living outside the United States, or is a member of the U.S. military serving outside her/his home precinct, as well as her/his spouse and dependents.

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For most county, state, and federal elections, those wishing to vote absentee may request an absentee ballot starting 46 days prior to the election. Dakota County voters may obtain and/or return an absentee ballot in person during normal business hours at Dakota County's elections office in Hastings as well as other locations which vary by election, but typically include the Northern Service Center (West St. Paul) and the Western Service Center (Apple Valley). Dakota County voters living in specific municipalities also have the option to obtain and/or return an absentee ballot at their municipal office. Scott County voters may obtain and/or return an absentee ballot in person during normal business hours at Scott County's Public Works Building in Jordan. Scott County voters living in specific municipalities also have the option to obtain and/or return an absentee ballot at their municipal office. Drop box locations for upcoming state/federal elections are available here. Voters may return completed absentee ballots in person up until 3 p.m. on election day. Dakota County has confirmed that absentee ballots delivered to the Northern Service Center or Western Service Center will be treated as received by its elections department at the time they are delivered to either service center. Under state law absentee voting must be available at each county's primary elections office, as well as other locations offering in-person absentee voting, during normal business hours on weekdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Saturday prior to election day, and until 5 p.m. the day before election day, unless that falls on a Saturday or Sunday. A voter typically may cancel a returned absentee ballot until the close of business seven days prior to election day by contacting their county elections office, or municipal elections office, if that office received the ballot, then the voter may obtain a new absentee ballot or vote in person on election day.

 

Another form of in-person absentee voting, sometimes referred to as early voting, in which ballots are deposited directly into a tabulator, is available during the seven days prior to most elections. Early voting locations and hours are made available on Dakota County's website prior to each election. Scott County voters may access information about absentee voting here. A voter who lives in a nursing home, assisted living facility, residential treatment center, or battered women's shelter, is hospitalized, or is unable to go to the polling place due to an incapacitating health condition or disability, may request that someone pick up their absentee ballot for them and then return the completed absentee ballot. This process is known as agent delivery and more information about the process is available here.

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Additional Resources

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