EAIElectoral Access Index
How accessible is the franchise under codified procedure?
Dimensions
Administration
0.0% · 0/1| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADMIN.1Election administration independenceIs the election administration body's independence (appointment by multiple branches, fixed terms, balanced political composition) codified in statute or constitution? | 0/10.0% | § 204C.31 codifies the county canvassing board — county auditor, district court administrator, the mayor/town-board chair of the most populous municipality, and 2 non-candidate county-board members. § 204C.31 bars candidates from serving. § 203B.121 codifies bipartisan ballot boards. § 204B.20 codifies the precinct election board. Structurally codified with anti-conflict rules, but no separate independent statewide commission (the Secretary of State is partisan-elected). | § view source 2026-05-20 |
Eligibility
40.0% · 2/5| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELIG.1Age and residency in constitutionAre the minimum age and residency requirements for voting set in the constitution (rather than statute alone)? | 1/1100.0% | § 201.014 codifies voter eligibility: 18 years or older, US citizen, and 'maintain residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election.' § 201.054 codifies registration methods. § 203B.065 codifies registration-system use. Constitutional grounding in Minn. Const. Art. VII (separate instrument). Comprehensive age + citizenship + residency framework codified. “an individual who meets the following requirements at the time of an election is eligible to vote. The individual must: (1) be 18 years of age or older; (2) be a citizen of the United States; and (3) maintain residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election.” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| ELIG.2Disqualification frameworkIf voters can be disqualified (felony, mental incompetence), are the criteria and the duration codified in statute, with a defined restoration procedure? | 1/333.3% | § 211B.18 codifies that a disqualified candidate may not hold various positions. § 211A.10 codifies parallel for disqualified individuals. § 204C.10 codifies the voter signature certificate (eligibility attestation). § 211B.07 codifies undue-influence prohibitions. Disqualification framework codified across chapters 211A/211B. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| ELIG.3Restoration of voting rightsWhere rights are lost (e.g., post-felony), is the procedure for restoration codified, with statutory deadlines and automatic restoration where applicable? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Identification
20.0% · 1/5| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID.1Statutory groundingIf ID is required at any point in voting, is the requirement set in statute rather than regulation? If no ID is required, is that explicit in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| ID.2Enumerated acceptable IDsAre the acceptable ID forms exhaustively enumerated in statute, not left to administrator discretion? | 0.5/150.0% | § 201.071 codifies voter-registration application content including 'current and valid Minnesota driver's license number or Minnesota state identification number, or… the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number.' § 203B.04 codifies absentee-application identification. § 201.061 codifies Election Day registration ID. Minnesota verifies identity by registration record + roster signature rather than photo ID at the polls; ID for registration is enumerated. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| ID.3Free alternative IDIf government-issued ID is required, is a free state-issued ID available by statute to anyone who lacks one? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| ID.4At-polls cure procedureIs the cure procedure for a voter who arrives without ID (provisional ballot, affidavit, return-with-ID, signature match) defined in statute? | 0.5/150.0% | § 201.195 codifies the challenge-petition procedure (a registered voter may challenge eligibility, with timing rules and cure windows). § 204C.10 (not in FTS top-5) codifies the voter signature certificate as an at-polls eligibility-affirmation mechanism. Cure / challenge-resolution procedure codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| ID.5Rejection appeal procedureIs the appeal procedure for a rejected ID (or rejected provisional ballot due to ID) codified in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Registration
85.7% · 6/7| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| REG.1Statutory registration deadlineIs the registration cutoff relative to election day defined by statute (not regulation or administrative directive)? | 1/1100.0% | § 201.061 codifies the registration deadline: registration prior to the 20 days before an election, with ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION available within that window. § 201.121 codifies entry of names. § 201.1611 codifies postsecondary registration. Statutory registration deadline + Election Day registration codified. “At any time except during the 20 days immediately preceding any regularly scheduled election, an eligible voter or any individual who will be an eligible voter at the time of the next election may register or update a registration to vote” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| REG.2Enumerated registration methodsAre the available registration methods (in-person, mail, online, motor-voter, automatic, same-day where applicable) exhaustively enumerated in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 201.161 codifies AUTOMATIC voter registration through driver's-license, MinnesotaCare/medical-assistance, and state-agency applications. § 201.061 codifies in-person, by-mail, online, and Election Day registration. § 201.1611 codifies postsecondary registration. § 201.054 codifies registration methods. Comprehensive multi-method registration framework codified. “an individual must be registered to vote if the individual is eligible to vote under section 201.014 and properly completes and submits one of the following applications” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| REG.3Cure procedure for incomplete registrationDoes statute define a cure procedure when a registration is rejected as incomplete? | 1/1100.0% | § 201.121 codifies entry of names and mailed notice — including procedures for incomplete-application correction. § 201.061 codifies that incomplete applications are effective when corrected. § 203B.065 codifies registration-system use. § 201.171 codifies list maintenance. Cure procedure for incomplete registration codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| REG.4Rejection challenge rightIs the voter's right to challenge a rejected or removed registration codified in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 201.195 codifies the rejection-challenge right: a registered voter may challenge eligibility via petition, with timing and hearing rules. § 201.12 codifies verification by mail + challenges. § 203B.20 codifies absentee-application challenges. § 204C.12 codifies polling-place challenges. Comprehensive rejection-challenge framework codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| REG.5Roll-maintenance criteria in statuteAre the criteria for removing voters from rolls (death, change of address, inactivity) defined in statute, not regulation? | 2/2100.0% | § 201.171 codifies list-maintenance criteria: posting voting history within 6 weeks; SoS changes registrants to 'inactive' after 4 years without voting; eliminating duplicate names; protections against improper removal. § 201.1615 codifies inter-agency data matching. § 201.022 codifies the statewide registration system. § 201.13 codifies deceased-voter reporting. Comprehensive statutory roll-maintenance criteria codified. “After the close of the calendar year, the secretary of state shall determine if any registrants have not voted during the preceding four years. The secretary of state shall perform list maintenance by changing the status of those registrants to "inactive" in the statewide registration system.” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| REG.6Pre-purge notice & cure periodIs a statutory notice-and-opportunity-to-cure required before a voter is removed from the rolls? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Roll Integrity
50.0% · 1/1| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROLL.1Voter-data security & breach notificationIs the data security regime for the voter registry (encryption requirements, breach notification, access logs) codified in statute? | 0.5/150.0% | § 201.1615 codifies information-sharing rules + restricted use of Social Security numbers in the statewide voter registration system. § 201.022 codifies the statewide registration system. § 201.081 codifies registration files. Voter-data security partially codified; breach notification lives in Minn. Stat. § 13.055 (Government Data Practices Act, separate instrument). | § view source 2026-05-20 |
Voter Assistance
33.3% · 1/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASSIST.1Language assistance thresholdAre the triggers for language assistance (bilingual ballots, language-minority population thresholds) codified in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| ASSIST.2Disability assistanceIs the right to be assisted in voting by a person of the voter's choosing — and the rules for who may assist — codified in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 204C.15 codifies voter assistance: a voter needing help (inability to read English OR physical inability) may obtain aid of two bipartisan election judges OR any individual of the voter's choice (excluding employer/union agents). § 206.64 codifies accessible electronic-voting-system booths. § 204B.181 codifies election emergency plans. § 201.162 codifies state-agency duties. Comprehensive disability-assistance framework codified. “A voter who claims a need for assistance because of inability to read English or physical inability to mark a ballot may obtain the aid of two election judges who are members of different major political parties.” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| ASSIST.3Illiteracy assistanceIs assistance for voters who cannot read codified, with a defined procedure protecting ballot secrecy? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Voting Methods
83.3% · 5/6| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| VM.1In-person polling-place hoursAre polling-place opening and closing hours set by statute (not local administrative discretion)? | 1/1100.0% | § 204C.05 codifies state-election polling hours: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. statewide. § 205.175 codifies municipal-election hours. § 205A.09 codifies school-district hours. § 203B.085 codifies extended county-auditor office hours. Statutory polling hours codified. “at the state primary and the state general election the hours for voting in every precinct in the state shall begin at 7:00 a.m. and shall extend continuously until 8:00 p.m.” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| VM.2Mail-in voting procedureIf mail-in voting is permitted, is the full procedure (application, deadline, return, signature verification, cure) codified in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 204B.45 codifies mail balloting for designated jurisdictions. § 204B.46 codifies mail elections for ballot questions. § 203B series codifies no-excuse absentee voting (Minnesota allows any registered voter to vote absentee by mail). Comprehensive mail-voting framework codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| VM.3Absentee voting frameworkIs the absentee voting framework (eligibility, application, return, treatment) codified in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 203B.09 codifies form and content of absentee-voting materials. § 203B.11 codifies absentee voting for hospital patients and health-care-facility residents. § 203B.227 codifies write-in absentee ballots. § 203B.225 / § 203B.29 codify ballot transmission for military/overseas voters. Comprehensive absentee-voting framework codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| VM.4Early voting periodIf early in-person voting is permitted, is the early voting period and the locations rule set by statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 203B.30 codifies procedures for EARLY VOTING, defining the early-voting official and the in-person early-voting process. § 203B.001 codifies election-law applicability. § 203B.081 (not in FTS top-5) codifies in-person absentee-voting locations and timing (46-day window). Early-voting framework codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| VM.5Drop-box procedureIf ballot drop-boxes are permitted, are placement, security, and chain-of-custody procedures defined in statute (not administrative directive)? | 1/1100.0% | § 203B.082 codifies absentee-ballot drop boxes with statutory 'SECURITY AND INTEGRITY' requirements — defining a drop box as 'a secure receptacle or container established to receive completed absentee ballots 24 hours per day.' § 203B.08 codifies that ballots may be returned via a drop box. Comprehensive drop-box framework codified. “As used in this section, "drop box" means a secure receptacle or container established to receive completed absentee ballots 24 hours per day.” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| VM.6Provisional ballot right & procedureIs the right to cast a provisional ballot, and the procedure for adjudicating it, codified in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |