Minnesota Supreme Court Confirms Cities Control Voter Roster Format; Oak Grove Wins Right to Use Paper Rosters in 2026 Election
Upper Midwest Law Center victory follows more than a year of work with ACEIT and Restore Minnesota; Court holds municipalities—not counties or the Secretary of State—decide paper or electronic rosters in city precincts
ACEIT
9/15/20262 min read
OAK GROVE, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the City of Oak Grove has authority under Minnesota law to decide whether paper or electronic voter rosters are used at precincts within its boundaries, including for the 2026 general election.
The decision in City of Oak Grove v. Steve Simon, et al. rejects the claim that Anoka County, rather than the city, controls roster format when state, federal, or county offices appear on the ballot. The Court held that Minn. Stat. § 201.225 does not strip a city of the power to choose paper or electronic rosters for precincts it operates inside city limits.
The case was brought by the Upper Midwest Law Center after state and county officials attempted to block Oak Grove’s decision to return to paper voter rosters. Oak Grove had previously used electronic rosters under an agreement with Anoka County, later terminated that agreement, and notified officials it would use paper rosters going forward.
ACEIT (Anoka County Election Integrity Team) and Restore Minnesota worked with the Upper Midwest Law Center for more than a year to challenge Secretary of State Steve Simon’s interpretation of existing election law, specifically, who has authority to choose electronic or paper rosters when voters check in at city precincts. Much of the research was provided by ACEIT member, Robert Kirchner. Restore Minnesota’s election integrity specialist was Gary Tonsager.
“This is a major victory for local election authority and the rule of law,” said Doug Seaton, President and Founder of the Upper Midwest Law Center. “Oak Grove made a lawful decision for its own precincts, and the Minnesota Supreme Court confirmed that state and county officials cannot rewrite the statute simply because they prefer a different system.”
The Court granted Oak Grove’s petition and ordered that, under Minnesota law, the City has authority to determine whether paper or electronic voter rosters are used within its boundaries. The Court also recognized that Oak Grove has chosen paper voter rosters for the 2026 general election. An opinion is to follow.
“We applaud the Court’s common sense decision, which derives directly from the plain meaning of the text,” said Nicholas Nelson, Senior Appellate Counsel at the Upper Midwest Law Center.
Oak Grove showed the courage to stand up for its right to administer elections in its own precincts the way it sees fit, even after county officials asserted that cities could not depart from the county’s certified electronic-roster system and after election workers were warned of criminal consequences for following the city’s direction.
ACEIT and Restore Minnesota thank the City of Oak Grove and the Upper Midwest Law Center for seeing this fight through. The ruling affirms that Minnesota law lists counties, municipalities, and school districts separately and that each may use electronic rosters—or choose not to—for elections in the precincts they operate.
Links:
https://www.umlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Order-Grant-3.pdf
Media contacts:
ACEIT — Derek Lind — aceit@aceit.vote — https://aceit.vote/
Restore Minnesota — election integrity specialist Gary Tonsager
Upper Midwest Law Center — https://www.umlc.org/
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