The short version.
The Minnesota voter registration file is a public record you request from the state elections office. In most states you pay a modest fee, sign a use statement, and get the list of registered voters for your district: names, addresses, and registration details. (Some states charge nothing; the details below are specific to Minnesota.) Then you hand it to Motion51 and we load it, geocode it, and cut your turf.
Minnesota's list is cheap and fast -- $46 for the whole state, $30 for any smaller area, delivered by email download link usually within a few days -- but you must be a registered Minnesota voter to buy it.
Where to request it.
- Office
- Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State — Elections Division (Statewide Voter Registration System)
- Contact
- (651) 215-1440 | [email protected] | Office of the Secretary of State, Voter Registration Lists, First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101 | Secretary of State: Steve Simon
What it costs.
$46.00 flat for statewide list. $30.00 flat for any sub-state geography (county, city, town, precinct, congressional district, state senate district, state house district, judicial district, county commissioner district). Same fee covers either the voter file alone or the voter file PLUS vote-history file. Payment by check made out to 'MN Secretary of State.'
How to request it, step by step.
- Download the Registered Voter List Request Form from the Secretary of State.
- Choose statewide ($46) or a sub-state area -- county, city, precinct, or district ($30).
- Sign the affidavit that you're a registered MN voter and will use the data only for elections, political activities, or law enforcement, and attach a photo ID.
- Mail or drop it off with a check, money order, or exact cash (no credit cards).
- The Secretary of State emails a download link, usually within 5 business days.
How long it takes.
5 business days statutory maximum after SoS receives a complete request + payment. Often delivered in 2-3 business days. Email delivery with download link to the requester's email.
Use restrictions: read before you order.
Minn. Stat. § 201.091 governs the public information list, and the penalty comes from elsewhere in the chapter. WHO CAN GET IT: inspection is free and open to anyone, but a COPY goes only 'to any voter registered in Minnesota' (subd. 5), within five business days of a complete request plus payment of the cost of reproduction. Before inspecting or obtaining the list you must identify yourself to the official holding it and state in writing that any information obtained 'will not be used for purposes unrelated to elections, political activities, or law enforcement' (subd. 4(c)). HOW YOU MAY USE IT: subd. 4(e) is unusually broad. It applies 'regardless of the purpose of the publication' and says a recipient must not (1) publish any of the information from the list on the Internet on any list, database, or other similar searchable format, or (2) 'sell, loan, provide access to, or otherwise surrender' any information obtained from the list to any person or entity. The carve-out is that someone who obtains the list on behalf of an organization may distribute it to that organization's volunteers or employees for purposes related to elections, political activities, or law enforcement. Subd. 4(e) also provides that nothing in the section prohibits preparing, using, or transferring, for purposes related to elections or political activities, a database that merges list data with data obtained from other sources, provided the database is used exclusively for election or political purposes and no information from the list is published on the Internet. That aggregated-database clause is untested: no Minnesota case construes it, and read narrowly it permits a merged election database rather than a resale. PENALTY: § 201.091 carries no penalty clause of its own, so the chapter default applies. § 201.27, subd. 3 ('General penalty') makes an individual who intentionally violates any provision of chapter 201 guilty of a felony, unless a different penalty is specifically provided by law, and none is provided in § 201.091. Note the intent element: the offence requires an intentional violation. Because 'provide access to' and 'otherwise surrender' are broad and subd. 4(e) applies regardless of purpose, how these rules apply to any particular vendor or software arrangement is a question for your own attorney, and this summary is not legal advice.
Costs, forms, and rules change between cycles. Always confirm the current details on the official Minnesota page linked above before you send payment. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
Minnesota voter file FAQ.
How much does the Minnesota voter file cost?
$46 for the statewide list, or $30 for any sub-state geography (county, city, town, precinct, or legislative/judicial district). The same fee covers the voter file with or without vote history. Payment is by check, money order, or exact cash -- no credit cards.
Can I use it for my campaign?
Yes, but with conditions: you must be a registered Minnesota voter, present photo ID, and sign a statement that the data will be used only for elections, political activities, or law enforcement (Minn. Stat. 201.091, subd. 4 and 5). Campaign use is squarely a political activity, so the file is usable for your race. What you may not do is publish it on the Internet in a searchable form or pass it on outside your own campaign, beyond your volunteers and staff (subd. 4(e)). Section 201.091 sets no penalty itself, so the chapter default applies: under section 201.27, subd. 3 an intentional violation of chapter 201 is a felony, and the offence requires intent.
How long does it take?
The Secretary of State processes within 5 business days of a complete request and payment -- often 2-3 -- and delivers by emailed download link.
Do I have to load it myself?
No -- send us the downloaded file and Motion51 loads it, geocodes it, and cuts your turf.
Once you have the file, Motion51 takes it from there.
Getting the file is the errand. The campaign is what happens next: loading tens of thousands of addresses, putting them on a map, cutting them into walkable turf, and tracking every door. That's what Motion51 does.
Send us the file the state gives you and we load it in, geocode the addresses, and set up your district so volunteers can start knocking. The app works offline for the stretches where cell coverage drops, and every door is logged with a timestamp. If you're weighing a race in Minnesota, our For Candidates page walks through the next steps.