What happens after you register? More than most people realize. 

Automatic Voter Registration can feel like a one-step process: An eligible Minnesotan renews a driver’s license or state ID, and the voter registration follows without another form. 

Behind the scenes, eligibility is checked before information is sent for registration, state and county election officials review the record, the address is tested by mail, and the record continues to be updated over time. 

“Automatic” describes the convenience 

The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office says the process is automatic because it is convenient for applicants, not because eligibility goes unchecked. Driver and Vehicle Services sends an applicant’s information for voter registration only when citizenship-affirming documentation, such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate, has been provided. 

State election officials then review the information, including whether a court has removed the applicant’s right to vote, before it goes to the county election office. County officials check whether the person already has a voter record before creating or updating one. 

The review process has changed when problems have surfaced. In 2024, after DVS identified a small number of files needing further confirmation, the affected registrations were inactivated while the records were reviewed. DVS then added two separate staff areas to double-check documentation and expanded worker training. 

The checks continue 

Every Minnesota voter record is maintained in the Statewide Voter Registration System. The database is updated daily, and registration information is checked against records from DVS, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and the courts. 

“Some things I think that people might not understand about the election process is how meticulous it is. There are a lot of standards and rules that we have to pay attention to … to make sure that people are checked in at the right precinct, to make sure that their information is up to date … Everything is recorded.” 

— Kiana, Election Judge, Hennepin County 

After registration, a non-forwardable Postal Verification Card is mailed to the voter’s address. If it cannot be delivered, the record is challenged for additional verification. Automatic-registration records receive a second card; if that also cannot be delivered, the record is inactivated. 

The rolls also change as people’s lives change. Deaths, moves, incarceration, court orders and inactivity are used to update voter records. A challenged record is not a conclusion that someone is ineligible. It means election officials need more information before the person votes. 

What does the record show? 

University of St. Thomas law professor Virgil Wiebe examined documented cases from 2015 through 2024. He found three state convictions and no federal convictions for noncitizen voting or registration during a period when 13,403,668 primary and general election ballots were cast in Minnesota. Wiebe has said there were probably a handful of additional cases, but found no evidence of a systematic effort by noncitizens to vote. 

Most of that study period predates Automatic Voter Registration. 

Minnesota does not rely on one checkpoint to keep voter rolls accurate. It uses documentation, human review, a statewide database, address verification and continuing updates after registration. 

Learn more about Minnesota elections and the safeguards behind them at Clean Elections Minnesota or mnvotes.gov.