Thursday, Jul. 20, 2023
Does having a Minnesota driver’s license give you the right to vote?
A driver’s license does not grant a person the right to vote.
In order to vote in Minnesota, a person must be a U.S. citizen, be above the age of 18, have resided in Minnesota for at least 20 days and must not currently be incarcerated for a felony.
A driver’s license is one of several documents that can be used to validate a voter’s residency status, however possessing one does not equate to citizenship.
While registering to vote, a person must affirm they are a U.S. citizen. Anyone voting as a non-citizen risks a felony charge and deportation.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- DocumentCloud Office of Secretary of State Statement
- State of Minnesota Election Facts
- State of Minnesota Do I need to bring ID?
- Minnesota House Research Department Minnesota's Voter Eligibility and Identification Requirements
- Office of the Governor of Minnesota Register on Election Day
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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