Your exact date of birth, email address, and any ID number you give (Minnesota driver’s license, state ID or last four digits of Social Security number) are private. Only election officials and other authorized government agencies may access this information.
Election officials ask for your exact date of birth so they can match your application to your voter record. If you refuse to give your date of birth, you won’t get an absentee ballot.
Election officials ask for your email so they can contact you about your application. Also, the Office of the Secretary of State may email you (or contact you another way) about voting and elections, or ask for public input about voting and elections. If you refuse to give an email address, you cannot apply for an absentee ballot online and you will need to apply with a paper application.
Election officials ask for an ID number to check that the person who is casting the ballot is the same person who applied for it. If you have an ID number but refuse to give it, your absentee ballot might get rejected, and you won’t be able to check your absentee ballot status online.
The rest of the data on your application is public when used for elections, political or law enforcement purposes. If you need to keep your contact data private because of personal safety concerns, call 1-877-600-8683.