All voters in the 2026 general election will see the following statewide and federal races on their ballot: U.S. Senator U.S. Representative Governor & Lieutenant Governor Secretary of State State Auditor Attorney General State Senator State Representative Judicial offices   Depending on where you live, your ballot may also include one or more of the following local races or issues: County offices City officials School board members Township officers Local ballot questions   Special Elections Special elections may also appear on the ballot. These elections are held to fill vacancies in elected offices or to vote on specific ballot questions. They can take place at different times throughout the year and are sometimes scheduled alongside regularly planned elections. View the list of upcoming special elections

You will need an email address. Use a paper application if you don't have one. You will need your Minnesota driver’s license or Minnesota identification card number. If you don't have one of these, you may use the last four numbers of your Social Security number. If you don't have either of these, use a paper application. If you are a participant in Minnesota’s Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program, do not register to vote or update your registration online. Contact Safe at Home at 1-866-723-3035. ​ * Please note: You must answer all questions in order to register to vote.

Choose a Cause The first step is to educate yourself on the issues. Clarify what issues matter to you and your family? The next step is to research the candidates and political parities to see where they land on your issues. This will inform how you activate from there.   Volunteer Running a campaign is a lot of work-for at least 6-15 months, it can be a full time job. Volunteers are a valuable support system to a political candidate-especially those operating on a shoe-string budget. Volunteers help make calls to voters, canvass neighborhoods, help table at events, perform data entry, and then some. This is also a great way to see the candidate up close and personal. You’ll learn a lot about the issues, their values, and you’ll learn a lot about the process. Not to mention, it’s great on your resume!   Donate Campaigns costs money to be effective. Lawn signs, food, printed mailers, paid campaign staff, all cost money. Small campaigns are especially dependent on campaign donations. Consider donating to your candidate. Trust us, they appreciate ANY amount you can give.   VOTE At the very least, be sure to cast your vote on Election Day! Elections have been won-and lost-with as little as 5-10 votes. Don’t believe the rhetoric; every-single-vote-absolutely-matters!

You must be: A U.S. citizen At least 18 years old on Election Day A resident of Minnesota for 20 days Finished with all parts of any felony sentence. Print a fact sheet on this topic to learn more. You can vote while under guardianship unless a judge specifically has revoked your right to vote. You cannot vote if a court has ruled that you are legally incompetent.

Voter registration is a means of determining the candidates and issues for which each voter is eligible to vote. Most states require voters to register to vote a certain number of days before Election Day. Voter Registration also protects the integrity of the ballot box by preventing voting in multiple jurisdictions. ​ To register to vote in the state of Minnesota, voters have the following options : BY MAIL Mail or drop off your paper application to either your county election office or to: ​ Secretary of State  60 Empire Dr. Suite 100 Saint Paul, MN 55103   ONLINE You can register to vote Online

Lobby Follow the issues you identified that matter to you. Support issue-based advocacy groups i.e. NAACP, ACLU, Teachers of Color, Restore the Vote, etc. Show up at the State Capitol for rallies, sign petitions, call your legislators and let them know how you feel about an issue and their position on it. Many legislators say they don’t hear from their constituents, but if they did, they would be responsive. Some are not always receptive, but many are…if you show up.   Attend Government Meetings Look up your city’s website to see the meeting calendar and decide what meeting you will attend. Or, if you get a notice in the mail about a public meeting, make it a point to attend. Most, if not all, government meetings are open to the public. There is usually a period for public comment, too. This is a great opportunity to see your tax dollars at work! Not to mention, you learn the process and see how they arrive at decisions. From there you can decide how you want to engage. Don’t forget, your neighborhood association, school board, PTA, etc, are also forms of government with opportunities for you to deepen your civic participation.   Call Your Representatives Most public officials have newsletters, community meetings or ‘public office hours’, etc. Attend these smaller intimate conversations to learn more about your representative, and maybe even pick their brain about issues.   Voting and civic engagement is not new to us. It is an integral part of our heritage. Back in the day, our parents and grandparents supported campaigns by voting, holding bake sales, and other fundraisers, for their chosen candidates. Today, babysitting, driving voters to polls, sharing candidate events on Facebook, rallying your friends and family to vote-all count as civic engagement. If you are 50 and younger, it’s time to start assuming that role. The truth is, whether you feel political or not, your very being and Blackness is political. Political decisions are being made everyday that affect you-with or without you. The more you become involved now-on a consistent basis-the less you have to protest later.