Know your rights to vote safely and free from intimidation or misinformation
On the first day of voting for the 2026 general election, Attorney General Ellison issues updated guidance for Minnesotans
September 18, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Today, September 18, marks the start of voting for Minnesota’s 2026 statewide general election that ends on November 3, 2026. To mark the start of voting, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today released updated guidance for Minnesotans on their right to vote safely and free from intimidation and misinformation. A new page on the Attorney General’s Office’s website details the state and federal legal protections Minnesotans have when casting a ballot and participating in their democracy. A video on the page from Attorney General Ellison that summarizes the guidance is also available on the Office’s YouTube channel. The update guidance is available in pdf format as well.
“All Minnesotans can be proud that our elections are safe, free, and fair — and regularly the highest-turnout in America. Minnesota has strong protections in place to ensure all eligible voters can cast their ballots and make their voices heard. I expect Minesota’s elections will continue to be as safe, free, and fair as ever: however, in the context of ongoing federal government attacks on Minnesota’s voting system, I’m releasing this guidance because I want all Minnesotans to know about the many state and federal rights they have under the law to vote safely and without intimidation or misinformation,” Attorney General Ellison said. “I do not anticipate needing to enforce these laws, but I will not hesitate to do so in order to keep our elections free from force, threats, or disinformation weaponized to keep Minnesotans from the ballot box — no matter who those threats come from.”
The guidance Attorney General Ellison released today includes information about laws that: set eligibility requirements for voters and ways they may register to vote; guarantee Minnesotans’ safe access to polling places; detail the help voters who need assistance when voting are allowed to receive; and protect Minnesotans who are voting, elections officials, and polling places from intimidation and interference, including from federal officials. This new guidance updates previous guidance Attorney General Ellison issued in October 2024.
Attorney General Ellison encourages voters to bookmark the page and share it with friends, family, and anyone seeking information about their right to vote safely and without intimidation or misinformation.
Voters with questions about voting or other concerns about Minnesota’s elections should contact the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office by calling (877) 600-VOTE (3862) or texting (651) 217-VOTE (3862).
The release of this updated voting-rights guidance is part of Attorney General Ellison’s continued efforts to ensure Minnesota’s elections remain free, fair, and secure. He is currently protecting states’ rights to administer their elections and ensure all eligible voters can vote, including by successfully challenging executive orders that threatened to interfere with election administration, winning the dismissal of a federal lawsuit that demanded Minnesota voters’ personal and sensitive nonpublic information, and winning at the U.S. Supreme Court when it blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing a new rule that would have disenfranchised millions of voters who vote by mail and caused chaos in the upcoming elections. He is also currently defending the State of Minnesota and the Secretary of State in a variety of litigation to protect Minnesotans’ voter-registration data and to defend laws that prohibit election misinformation and deepfakes.
In past years, Attorney General Ellison investigated an out-of-state security company that threatened to send armed civilians to Minnesota polling places, and swiftly secured a binding court agreement preventing the company from sending agents to polling places. He also successfully defended the legality of the Restore the Vote Act, which restores voting rights to Minnesotans with felony convictions when they are no longer incarcerated. This included intervening to successfully have the Minnesota Court of Appeals overturn a state district court order when a judge unilaterally declared the law unconstitutional.
