Minnesota voter registration audit: Counties missed deadlines, made errors in key cases

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A new report highlights how Minnesota counties handled voter registration in 2024, showing strong performance overall but spotlighting some areas that need attention before the next election. 

Counties mostly followed rules, struggled near Election Day 

What we know:

The Office of the Secretary of State (OSS) and counties used the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) to process and verify new voter registrations in summer and fall 2024. OSS set out clear steps for counties to follow, and the review found that 96% of applications were processed within legal time frames, except for those received within 20 days of an election. 

Counties got identity verification right for 99.9% of applicants, and assigned correct voter statuses in 98% of manual cases. Residency checks were also done correctly for 99% of applicants, but when counties had to review these manually, more than one-third of the cases had either documentation gaps or unclear decisions.

The report recommends counties process all applications on time, follow state law and OSS guidance when handling returned residency notices, and document everything in SVRS. The Legislature is also encouraged to clarify post-election reporting rules for returned residency notices, since current reports are seen as offering limited value. 

Counties must keep voter lists up-to-date, but not all records were updated as required. 

By the numbers:

OSS met its responsibility to share data about disqualifying conditions, like incarceration, with counties. However, counties did not always update voter registration records flagged by OSS. In 84% of cases where a voter’s rights were restored, counties sent required notices within 10 days, but the report says all such individuals should be notified as Minnesota rules require.

The report also points out that federal law, state law and OSS practices use different criteria for making voter records inactive, and suggests the Legislature consider revising these criteria. County officials said OSS guidance is helpful for election staff, but new laws have increased their workload.

Maintaining accurate lists of registered voters

The backstory:

Minnesota lawmakers passed several bills in 2023 and 2024 to make it easier for certain groups to register and vote. The report could not determine if these changes led to more people registering.

Both Steve Simon, Secretary of State, and Cory Kampf, President of the Minnesota Association of County Officers, responded to the findings in letters dated July 6, 2026. Simon said OSS, "appreciates the significant work that went into preparing this report," and that "Minnesota is proud of its accurate, fair, secure, accessible, and trusted elections system." He added, "As the report reflects, the state law does not provide the OSS the authority to enforce county implementation of voter registration laws" but said he is "pleased that this report shows that our county elections partners…report that they are getting adequate guidance from OSS."

Kampf said, "Where the OLA has found that improvements can and should be made, we generally agree," but wanted to add context. He pointed out that residency was verified in 99% of applications using the correct process and that the data did not show whether the remaining cases were actually wrong or just not completed in SVRS. 

Kampf also said, "additional avenues to register, along with other new election laws, have placed new workload demands on county election offices," and asked the Legislature to look into whether law changes could help counties manage these demands. 

Local perspective:

Minnesota’s election system is widely seen as secure and accessible, but the report shows there is still room to improve, especially in making sure every application is processed on time and all records are kept up-to-date. County officials say increased registration options and new laws mean more work for local offices, and they are looking to lawmakers for support.

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