Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State : Frequently Asked Questions

What is a precinct caucus?
Who can attend a caucus?
Are caucus meeting locations accessible to individuals with disabilities?
What do caucus attendees do?
What are the common problems (reasons for rejection) encountered in the authentication process?
How do I submit a business filing?
How do I submit a copy or certificate request?
What is absentee voting?
Where should college students register and vote?
How can I verify money transactions through my Direct Access Account?
How do I contact someone if my questions aren't answered here?
Can I get time off from work to vote?
Who can vouch for residents of residential facilities?
Can someone's right to vote be challenged because of his or her physical appearance or accent?
My home is currently in foreclosure. Do I still vote in the same precinct?
My dad takes the right to vote extremely seriously, but has dementia. Is it true that when a person suffers from dementia they lose their right to vote?
How do I order materials in an alternative format?
How do I know you received my request?
What payment methods are accepted?
What is comma delimited format?
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Q: What is a precinct caucus? A: A caucus is a meeting organized by Minnesota's political parties where citizens can engage each other in a conversation about which candidates to support in the next general election and what public policy positions should be adopted as part of the party's platform.
Q: Who can attend a caucus? A: Precinct caucuses are open to the public and participation is encouraged by the political parties. In order to vote, offer resolutions or become a delegate at a precinct caucus, attendees must be eligible to vote in the next general election, live in the precinct, and be in general agreement with the principles of the political party.
Q: Are caucus meeting locations accessible to individuals with disabilities? A: Most caucuses are held in accessible buildings. Anyone needing interpretive services or caucus materials in alternate formats should write or e-mail their political party's state office in advance for further assistance.
Q: What do caucus attendees do? A: Discuss public policy issues and pass resolutions Caucuses provide a forum for citizens to engage their neighbors in a conversation on a wide range of public policy and political issues. Attendees may also offer and vote on resolutions to shape the party's platform. Vote in a straw poll Political parties may conduct a straw poll to gauge caucus attendees' candidate preferences for state or federal elected offices. Elect precinct officers Caucus attendees elect officers who will be responsible for organizing political activities within the precinct. Elect delegates Caucus attendees elect delegates and alternates to represent their precinct at the political party's county or district convention. District convention delegates in turn, elect delegates to the political party's congressional and state conventions. Delegates influence which candidates and policy positions their party ultimately endorses.
Q: What are the common problems (reasons for rejection) encountered in the authentication process? A: Insufficient Fees - The authentication fee is $5 per document to be authenticated. Must be an original document - All documents must be properly signed by a person representing the agency issuing the document and are required to be an original signature NOT a photocopied signature. Notarization of Document - For basic information which can be used as a guide when notarizing a document, please refer to our Notary Public Brochure or Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 358.48. Notary Commission - The commission must be valid and up to date and the expiration date on the notary stamp must be accurate. To determine if the notary is active search the notary database. Country Required - Each document or the cover letter must identify the country of intended use so the correct authentication is attached to the document.
Q: How do I submit a business filing? A: For Requests by the General Public using Credit Card (Visa/MasterCard) or E-Check: Go to http/expressservices.sos.state.mn.us/ and follow the instructions provided. For Requests by Direct Access Subscribers: Prepare your documents to be attached to an e-mail. Log into the Direct Access system. Click on the Express Service filings link. Complete the information screen. Click submit. Attach your document to the email provided. Send the email. Requests will be processed with 1 business day of receipt. After processing, documents (except for renewals), will be returned via US mail in approximately 3 business days. Tips: The following file formats are accepted: txt, .pdf, .html, Word (95 and above), .jpg, .gif, or .tif.
Q: How do I submit a copy or certificate request? A: For Requests by the General Public using Credit Card (Visa/MasterCard) or E-Check: Go to http://expressservices.sos.state.mn.us and follow the instructions provided. For Requests by Direct Access Subscribers: Log into the Direct Access system. Click on the Express Service link for either copies or certificates. Complete the information and request screen. Click submit.
Q: What is absentee voting? A: Absentee voting is a way to vote if you are unable to vote in person on election day because you are: away from home ill or disabled an election judge serving in another precinct unable to go to the polling place due to a religious holiday or beliefs With absentee voting, you can vote either in person before Election Day at a location designated by your county auditor or by mail. You must submit a written application to your county auditor or city clerk. Contact your county elections official or city clerk for the details. Vote in person starting 30 days prior to election day during normal office hours, or from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the Saturday before the election, or until 5:00 p.m. the Monday before the election. To vote by mail, submit the Absentee Ballot application form to your county auditor. The ballot will then be mailed directly to you. If you are in the military or outside the US, vote based on where you last lived in Minnesota. You or your parent, spouse, brother, sister, or adult child can apply for you. Be sure to apply early! More detailed information is available at the following pages: Absentee Voting Within the U.S. Absentee Voting Outside the U.S. Military and Overseas Voter Web Service
Q: Where should college students register and vote? A: Students have the option to either register and vote using a parent’s home address or their own school address, depending on which they consider their residence. However, they may only register and vote at one location in any election. See the Elections 101 brochure for more general information, and Minnesota Statutes 200.031 for details about determining residence for voting purposes.
Q: How can I verify money transactions through my Direct Access Account? A: Direct Access Subscribers can view their account activity at any time. Steps to view your on-line transaction: Log into the Direct Access System Click on the Account Link. Select View Account Activity. Access your transactions by entering a date range. Tips: Same day transactions will appear in pending transactions.
Q: How do I contact someone if my questions aren't answered here? A: Submit your question about Voter Information Requests via our online form. We will respond as quickly as possible.
Q: Can I get time off from work to vote? A: Yes, Minnesota voters may take time off from their job without a penalty or reduction in wages to vote during the morning of state elections. Our memo to employers includes the statutory language.
Q: Who can vouch for residents of residential facilities? A: Any voter who is registered to vote in that precinct and knows that the voter resides at the residential facility or who is employed by and working in a residential facility in the precinct, whose name appears on a certified list provided to the County Auditor by the operator of the facility 20 days prior to the election. For more details, see Voting Information for Residents and Employees of Residential Facilities.
Q: Can someone's right to vote be challenged because of his or her physical appearance or accent? A: No. Challengers cannot challenge a voter’s registration simply on a whim. Challengers must have personal knowledge that the voter is not eligible to vote and must sign an oath attesting to the validity of their claim. See the fact sheet Challenges and Vouching Must be Based upon Personal Knowledge! for more information.
Q: My home is currently in foreclosure. Do I still vote in the same precinct? A: It depends. If you are eligible to vote but your home is currently in the foreclosure process you can still vote. Voters must vote in the precinct in which they reside. If you moved out of your home and do not intend to return, you need to register to vote by providing the address of your new residence. See Voting Rights for Minnesotans Facing Home Foreclosure for more information.
Q: My dad takes the right to vote extremely seriously, but has dementia. Is it true that when a person suffers from dementia they lose their right to vote? A: No. Your father is eligible to vote unless he is under court-ordered guardianship where a court has specifically revoked his voting rights or has been ruled legally incompetent by a court of law. However, your father must be able to either mark the ballot himself or must be able to indicate his choices to the person assisting him in marking his ballot. It is illegal for a person assisting a voter to try to influence the voter’s choices or to mark the voter’s ballot if the voter cannot communicate his or her wishes. See also the fact sheet on Voting Rights for Citizens with Cognitive Impairment.
Q: How do I order materials in an alternative format? A: Materials can be provided in Braille, on audio tape, on CD or in Large Print. To order any of the brochures on this website or to order a Voter Registration Application and instructions on how to fill it out, contact the Secretary of State Elections Division at: Email: elections.dept@state.mn.us Phone: 651-215-1440 Greater MN toll free: 1-877-600-8683 TTY: 1-800-627-3529 Fax: 651-296-9073 Refer to the Contact Us link for additional contact information. Allow up to 5 business days to receive your request. Note that Voter Registration Applications are available on this website in text-format and letter-size or large print PDF versions on the Register to Vote page. To order an application for an absentee ballot or a ballot to be used on Election Day, contact your county elections official or city clerk. Every county and most cities will have a TDD device for questions. Be sure to call early to provide adequate lead time for the election officials to provide the alternative format materials.
Q: How do I know you received my request? A: You will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive the email within a few hours, send an email to business.services@state.mn.us or contact our Business Information Lines at 651-296-2803 or toll free at 1-877-551-6767, between 9:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday (excluding holidays).
Q: What payment methods are accepted? A: At this time only checks or money orders are accepted for orders by mail. For orders placed in person at our offices, cash payment is also an option, in addition to checks and money orders. Credit card payment in not currently available, but is in development as an alternative payment option.
Q: What is comma delimited format? A: The comma delimited format contains data in a text file. Values are contained within quotes ("") and separated by commas. This type of file can be imported into databases (such as MS Access) or spreadsheets (such as MS Excel). Note that some public information list files will contain more than 65,536 records, which is the maximum number of rows in many spreadsheet programs, so a database program may be required to work with larger lists. The Office of the Secretary of State does NOT* offer support for utilizing this data with specific software applications.comma delimite*
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Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State

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