Eligible voters can register when they electronically file taxes

The Minnesota Department of Revenue and Secretary of State Steve Simon announced since income tax season opened Jan. 23, Minnesota taxpayers who need to register to vote or update their voter registration can do so when filing their income taxes electronically.

This year, all taxpayers using Minnesota-certified electronic filing software will see a new message prompting them to register to vote online at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website mnvotes.org. To see a list of certified electronic filing vendors, visit Revenue’s website and type in the key word “free file”.

“Minnesota law requires that individual income tax return forms and instruction booklets include voter registration forms,” said Revenue Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly. “This year, we worked with tax software providers to get voter registration information integrated into their products to reach the large segment of taxpayers who file electronically.”

“The voter registration process in Minnesota is easier and more convenient than ever before, and this provides another critical step in that direction,” said Secretary Simon. “While Minnesota has over 3.2 million registered voters, an additional 700,000 citizens are eligible, but haven’t registered to vote. I encourage all Minnesotans filing their taxes electronically to take advantage of this resource and make sure their voter registration is up to date. “ 

Eligible voters must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a Minnesota resident and finished with any felony sentence.

Electronic filing and direct deposit is the most secure way to get a refund. Last year, over two million Minnesota taxpayers used electronic software to file.