Can you vote with a felony in Minnesota?

Q: Do you have to pay fines and fees before you can vote in Minnesota?

Not required. Restoration depends only on not being incarcerated for the offense (§ 201.014, subd. 2a); payment of fines, fees or restitution is not a condition.

The short answer

After prison.

In Minnesota, people lose the right to vote only while in prison for a felony. It comes back on release, including on parole or probation.

In Minnesota, people lose the right to vote only while they are incarcerated serving a felony sentence. The right is restored during any period when they are not incarcerated for the offense, including on parole or probation and on work release. The Secretary of State says people in this situation need to register to vote.^1,3

Checked October 22, 2026 against 6 sources, starting with Minnesota law, then by a second reader.

In prison for a felonyCan't vote^1,3
On paroleCan vote^1,3
On probationCan vote^1,2,3
Sentence completeCan vote after registering again^1,2,3

Check with Minnesota's election office

Before you register

Your state or county election office can confirm your own status, for free. Voting while ineligible can carry criminal penalties, so if anything about your case is unclear, ask them first. The general election is November 3, 2026; registration deadlines are on vote.gov.

How the right comes back

Automatically

Under Minn. Stat. § 201.014, subd. 2a, a person who is ineligible because of a felony conviction has the right to vote restored during any period when the person is not incarcerated for the offense; if the person is later incarcerated for that offense, the right is lost only during that incarceration. People on work release (sections 241.26 or 244.065) or released under section 631.425 are not considered incarcerated. The Secretary of State says the person will need to register to vote. Under Minn. Stat. § 243.205, correctional facilities must give people released after a felony-level sentence, and probation or supervised release agents must give everyone under supervision for a felony-level offense, a notice that their right to vote has been restored and a voter registration application; a missing notice does not prevent restoration. The Secretary of State says people living in a residential reentry center for a non-incarcerated purpose can vote and should ask their probation officer if unsure whether they count as incarcerated.^1,2,3

Fines, fees and restitution

Not required

Restoration depends only on not being incarcerated for the offense (§ 201.014, subd. 2a); payment of fines, fees or restitution is not a condition.¹

Registering again

Yes

Once the right is back, Minnesota requires a new voter registration before voting.^2,3

Misdemeanors and jail

The Secretary of State says a person charged with or convicted of a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor can vote, including a person in jail who is not serving a felony sentence.³

The Secretary of State says people charged with a felony but not convicted, people in jail who are not serving a felony sentence, and people given a stay of adjudication can vote. It notes it is sometimes unclear whether a felony charge resulted in a felony conviction and suggests asking an attorney.³

Convictions from another state or federal court

The Secretary of State says people serving a federal felony sentence in prison, jail or a residential reentry center cannot vote while doing so. It does not separately address convictions from other states; § 201.014 refers to 'any felony' without limiting it to Minnesota convictions.^1,3

What's changed

June 1, 2023: Laws 2023, chapter 12 (signed March 3, 2023) added Minn. Stat. § 201.014, subd. 2a, restoring the right to vote to people with felony convictions during any period when they are not incarcerated for the offense, and required notices of restoration (§ 243.205). Laws 2023, chapter 62, article 4, section 10 re-enacted subd. 2a with the work-release clause, effective June 1, 2023. In 2024 (Laws 2024, ch. 112) the Legislature rewrote the required form of the restoration notice.⁴

The law

Embed this answer

Free for newsrooms and organizations. The card stays current as we re-check Minnesota, and the credit line under it links back here. Embed the national map instead

Paste this where you want the Minnesota card

<iframe src="https://secondchanceindex.com/embed/voting-rights/minnesota" title="Can you vote with a felony in Minnesota?" width="100%" height="430" style="border:0;max-width:560px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:14px">Source: <a href="https://secondchanceindex.com/voting-rights/minnesota">Second Chance Index, voting rights in Minnesota</a>, checked October 22, 2026.</p>
<script>addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e.origin!=="https://secondchanceindex.com"||!e.data||!e.data.sciEmbedHeight)return;document.querySelectorAll('iframe[src^="https://secondchanceindex.com/embed/"]').forEach(function(f){if(f.contentWindow===e.source)f.style.height=e.data.sciEmbedHeight+"px"})});</script>

Preview the card · Download it as an image for print or newsletters

This page explains Minnesota's general rules from its law and election office. It isn't legal advice, and a case can turn on the details of a sentence. The election office can confirm your status.

Spot something out of date? Tell us at contact@secondchanceindex.com.

Cite this page

Second Chance Index, "Can you vote with a felony in Minnesota?" https://secondchanceindex.com/voting-rights/minnesota, checked October 22, 2026.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 22, 2026.

Minn. Stat. § 201.014, subds. 2 and 2a
Minn. Stat. § 243.205
I have a criminal recordMinnesota Secretary of State
Laws of Minnesota 2023, chapter 62 (article 4, section 10 amends § 201.014, subd. 2a, effective June 1, 2023)Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
Laws of Minnesota 2023, chapter 12 (H.F. No. 28)Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
Constitutional Amendments (proposed and adopted, by ballot year)Minnesota Legislative Reference Library