Elections

Several Elections provisions passed in 2026, including new protections regarding address privacy and security for candidates and local officials – as well as updates to campaign material disclaimers, updates to grassroots lobbying requirements, and election administration changes from the Secretary of State.   

Senate and House Republicans blocked a wide array of pro-democracy reforms that would have strengthened and enhanced the freedom to vote – including by strengthening protections against election interference and intimidation, by increasing transparency and accountability at all levels of government, and by ensuring that no presidential candidate can defy the constitution by running for a third term on a Minnesota ballot. (SF 4223 – Elections Omnibus)  

PASSED 

Security Spending (HF 4239):   

Existing law which allows candidates to count up to $3k of campaign spending on detection-related security expenses as noncampaign disbursements over a 2-year period has been expanded by raising the maximum to $10k, as well as by newly allowing spending on:  

  • Structural Security Devices: Including locks, wiring, lighting, gates, doors, and fencing.   
  • Security Services: Including threat assessments, security guards, or guest screening services provided by a state or local law enforcement agency, or by a vendor licensed by the Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services. Security services paid for by political parties via multicandidate expenditures as well as personal spending by candidates are not subject to the $10k limit.   

Address Privacy (HF 4239):   

Street addresses on reports filed with the Campaign Finance Board or on campaign finance reports filed with local governments are newly required to be classified as private data. This includes the street addresses of candidates, donors, vendors, lobbyists, party units, PACs, and all other individuals or associations which file with the board. The CFB and local governments are required to remove all relevant reports and statements which contain street addresses from their websites, and must redact all street addresses before making them publicly available again. The leaders of each legislative caucus are additionally required to be provided with street addresses by the CFB in order to verify that candidates reside within their districts. These protections will help keep elected officials safer in the wake of the tragic events on June 14th, and will also help give more Minnesotans the security the need in order to engage in our democracy.   

Court Decision Updates:   

Two provisions responding to recent court decisions were passed into law this session:  

  • Campaign Material Disclaimers: A 2025 MN Court of Appeals decision found that the Campaign Finance Board’s standard for disclaimer requirements on campaign materials was insufficient. New standards passed this session include specific dimensional requirements for physical and digital campaign materials as well as clarifying requirements for audio materials. These new standards apply to physical signs created on or after Jan. 1st, 2027 – and lawn signs created before that date are grandfathered in.   
  • Grassroots Lobbying Requirements: A 2025 U.S. District Court decision granted an injunction against Minnesota’s vendor disclosure requirements related to grassroots lobbying. Those requirements have been replaced with a new disclaimer requirement for grassroots lobbying advertisements, and other reporting requirements grassroots lobbying remain in CFB rules.

Election Administration Updates (HF 4240):   

The Secretary of State’s administrative bill included several updates to election administration – including:  

  • New flexibility for municipalities which administer in-person absentee voting – which allows them to do so for only the 18-day early voting period, and not the current requirement of the full 46-day absentee period.   
  • A requirement that city, town, and school district canvassing boards declare the candidate with the most votes as the winner of the election. This change matches a current requirement for state and county canvassing boards.   
  • A requirement that school district special elections which impact more than one county must include at least one polling place in each impacted county with more than 5,000 registered voters.   
  • A prohibition on candidates placing wagers on prediction markets regarding their own elections (added by amendment, not an OSS provision).   
  • Other updates to early voting, agent delivery, the SVRS, and other technical changes.   

Did NOT Pass: 

SAVE MN Act (SF 5050):   

The Senate DFL defeated attempts by Republicans to enact the “SAVE MN Act”, which is modeled off the Congressional “SAVE America Act” and includes a documentary proof of citizenship requirement, photo ID, provisional ballots, the surrender of private voter data to the federal government, required voter roll purges, and other provisions which would suppress the vote for over 1.2m Minnesotans.  

Election Interference and Intimidation Protections (SF 4223):  

Strengthened protections against intimidation and interference of voters, election officials, election equipment, or election administration were blocked by House Republicans. Over 30,000 Minnesotans support our elections on election day, and Republicans fought against efforts to keep them safe by blocking increased penalties for election interference, voter intimidation, and the harassment of election officials from gross misdemeanors to felonies.   

No Third Terms (SF 4223):  

House Republicans blocked a simple provision to ensure that all presidential candidates follow the requirements of the constitution in order to be listed on Minnesota ballots – including the prohibition on running for more than two terms.   

Transparency and Accountability Reforms (SF 4223):  

Republicans opposed several provisions to increase transparency and accountability at all levels of government, including:   

  • The expansion of filing requirements for statements of economic interest and conflict of interest disclosure to include local officials statewide, and not only the current standard of local officials in the metro region.   
  • New disclosure requirements on statements of economic interest to include cryptocurrency and other virtual currency holdings, as well as expanded stock reporting.   
  • New requirements for disclaimers on campaign materials and independent expenditures – including new requirements which would have applied to ads on websites and social media, as well as other digital media.   
  • The closing of a loophole regarding coordinated electioneering communications, which would have matched a federal FEC standard.


Campaign Finance Penalties (SF 4196):  

Proposed new penalties for large campaign finance violations did not pass this session. These penalties sought to address large actors who view current fines and fees – which are regularly capped at $3k – as the cost of doing business. This bill would have created a new threshold of “enhanced penalties” for violations over either $25k or $100k, and would have applied mandatory penalties for those violations. Proceeds from these penalties were directed into the State Election Campaign Account, which funds the public subsidy.   

Pre-filled Absentee Ballot Applications (SF 4223):  

Language prohibiting absentee ballot applications sent by non-governmental entities from including any pre-filled information did not pass.   

CFB Admin Bill (SF 4223):   

The Campaign Finance Board’s administrative bill did not pass this session, which included new reporting requirements related to local officials, conforming language with updates to lobbying changes made in 2025, new penalties for candidates who do not sign the public subsidy agreement and who fail to file notices when reaching certain contribution or expenditure limits, and other technical updates.    

Musk Anti-Bribery Language  

A provision which expanded existing felony protections against undue attempts to influence a voter was blocked by House and Senate Republicans. The new language would have prohibited promising a chance to win money in an attempt to induce a voter to vote, to register to vote, or to sign a petition that is directly related to an election. This provision stemmed from a 2025 issue in Wisconsin, where “America PAC,” a group funded by Elon Musk, offered voters $100 to sign a petition opposing “activist judges” in the leadup to Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, as well as an additional chance to win $1m.  

Scam PACs   

Language prohibiting individuals from fraudulently misrepresenting themselves as speaking, acting, or fundraising on behalf of a candidate, party, or other organization with intent to defraud was blocked by Republicans. The provision was bipartisan in the Senate, and it sought to create protections against predatory fundraising practices which regularly target seniors and other vulnerable Minnesotans. The FBI has noted that Scam PACs are on the rise, and the Campaign Legal Center notably filed recent complaints with the FEC against several scam PACs, including “Patriots for American Leadership,” which fraudulently used President Trump’s voice to fundraise over $1.4m in the 2024 election – only 3% of which was reported as going towards political donations.   

Ranked Choice Voting:  

No provisions related to Ranked Choice Voting advanced this session.