Archives for 2026

Minnesota Primary Day is August 11, 2026

What is the Primary Election?

A primary election determines which candidates will be on the ballot for the November 2026 general election.

For partisan offices, like a state or U.S. representative or senator, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. Partisan offices will be clearly marked on your ballot and will usually be on the front of the ballot. One person from each party advances to the November general election.

For nonpartisan offices, like county, city, township and school boards, you can vote for your top choice. Nonpartisan offices will usually be on the back of the ballot. The nonpartisan candidates with the most votes will be on the November general election ballot.

Important 2026 Primary Dates

The Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 11.
You can vote by mail or in person June 26 through August 10.
It is a good idea to register in advance by July 21 to make sure you can vote.

What’s on my Primary Ballot?

You can find out what’s on your Primary Ballot by entering your address on this Minnesota Secretary of State Voting Information Portal.

The Star Tribune has a Primary Voting Guide. You can find other voting guides too.

Voting Basics

Here’s what you need to know:

You must be able to vote in Minnesota. You need to be a U.S. Citizen, at least 18 years old on Election Day, and a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days. Importantly, you cannot vote if you are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction or under a court order that revokes your right to vote.
You must be registered to vote. Most Minnesotans are already registered through automatic voter registration when they get a state-issued ID.
- If you are not registered and eligible to vote, you can register online (with your MN driver’s license or MN ID card number or the last four numbers of your Social Security and an email address).
- You can also use a paper form to complete, and return to your local elections office or you can register when you vote. Contact local elections office for if you need a disability accommodation to the online, paper, or same day/early voting registration process.
- If your name or address changes, you’ll need to re-register. You can check to see if you are registered.
Once you’re registered, you have options on where and how to vote:
- You can vote at your local polling place where you reside.
- Polling places must be accessible.
- You can bring someone to help, ask an election judge, use a ballot marking machine, or vote from your car. Get help voting.
- Voting instructions must be in different languages.
- You can vote through the mail with an absentee ballot. It is best to request and return the absentee ballot well in advance of election day. If you need an Accessible Absentee Ballot, first request an absentee ballot online and then contact your local county election office to tell them that you want an accessible ballot.
- Use an agent to pick up and deliver a ballot for you. To have an agent deliver your ballot, you must live in a nursing home, assisted living facility, residential treatment center, group home, battered women's shelter. You can also have an agent deliver your ballot if you are hospitalized or have difficulty going to the polling place due to incapacitating health reasons or a disability.
- You can vote at your nursing home or hospital with the assistance of local election officials. If residents of a nursing home or hospital normally live in a different city or town, they can apply for an absentee ballot on their own. Within a week of the election, they may be eligible to have someone pick up and deliver a ballot for them.

Rights and Resources

For people with disabilities, there are laws to make sure you can vote and that your vote counts! Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Minnesota Law you can ask for disability accommodations with registration, absentee ballots, or other parts of the voting process. The local county election office can help with these requests and, of course, polling places must be physically accessible.

Here are some voting resources:

July 2026 – ADA Minnesota/MCIL Celebrates Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month recognizes and celebrates people with disabilities, promotes inclusion and challenges barriers. Disability Pride Month happens every July, which coincides with the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law (on July 26, 1990).

Come join MCIL/ADA Minnesota and other disability advocacy partners at the 4th Annual ACT Disability Pride Festival! Stay tuned for more details on the date and time.

Here are some resources on Disability Pride Month:

MCIL/ADA Minnesota at Twin Cities Pride

MCIL/ADA Minnesota showed up at Twin Cities Pride on June 27-28, 2026 to share resources and answer questions. We joined our friends Minnesota Council on Disability, and partners at Loring Park in celebration of the communities we serve!

MCIL/ADA Minnesota at Special Olympics United Work Summit

MCIL/ADA Minnesota was honored to attend, participate and share information at the 2026 Special Olympics Games Unified Work Summit! The Unified Work Summit “is a call to action addressing the critical employment gap within the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) community.” Check out The Unified Work Playbook, which indicates critical resources and information for employers and disabled job seekers.

Long Covid and Post Viral Chronic Conditions (PVCC) Information and Resources

Minnesotans continue to experience the effects of Covid-19, Long Covid and other post-viral chronic conditions. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a comprehensive set of information and resources about what is happening in Minnesota and how Minnesotans experience symptoms and effects.

MDH also has created a Statewide Roadmap to Address Long COVID and Post-Viral Chronic Conditions.

There is also continuing nationwide attention to Long Covid and PVCC as shown by these stories and reports:

WBUR (June 2026) The scope of long COVID is bigger than we think, Mass. researchers say: “Six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have suffered long-term symptoms of the virus. But exactly how many people developed long COVID — defined as when symptoms last at least three months — is hard to pin down. Scientists are still trying to understand how the disease works, and doctors don’t always know how to recognize it.”
Bloomberg (May 2026) Doctors Rebuffed by Courts in Long Covid and Disability Fights: “DelValle’s fight for long-term disability is one of dozens of court battles by workers with long Covid, a new test of a system that lawyers and academics say is stacked against them. The complex, yearslong process passes judgment on enrollees from afar and is filled with conflicts of interest that benefit the insurer, according to court opinions, plaintiffs’ complaints, and interviews with lawyers and academics.”
Fortune (May 2026) The quiet $8 billion crisis: long COVID costs keep rising as Washington looks away
The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a guide on Living With Long COVID

Long Covid/PVCC and Employment Rights

MCIL received funding from MDH to provide information, technical assistance, training and resources on Long Covid/PVCC and Employment. Contact Dan Stewart, dans@mcil-mn.org with questions about or training requests on how the ADA, Minnesota Human Rights Act and other laws apply to employment rights, disclosing disability, seeking accommodations, participating in the interactive process, and other related topics.

Section 508 Standards – 25th Anniversary

Section 508 requires that federal departments and agencies make sure that their electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, including both federal employees and members of the public who are seeking information or services from those departments and agencies. The law applies to technology that agencies develop, buy, maintain, or use technology, including websites, software, office equipment, PDFs, and other digital tools.

Section 508 is an important part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Originally, Section 508 was essentially non-binding and for guidance. However, changes to this law in 1998, made Section 508 binding and enforceable as of June 21, 2001 (and updated in 2017), commonly referred to as the Section 508 Technical Standards. Learn more on the Celebrating 25 Years of Section 508 Standards page.

Note that Section 508 Technical Standards apply to federal entities while the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to state and local governments as well as many private entities. There are different ADA standards and compliance deadlines. For example, information on compliance with ADA Title II (state and local governments) requirements can be found on the ADA.gov website.

United States Supreme Court Mail-In Voting Decision

On June 29, 2026, the United States Supreme Court decided that mail-in ballots that were sent in before Election Day can be counted after Election Day. This decision does not apply to Minnesota but is still important for voters with disabilities who use and rely on mail-in voting. Here’s some background on the decision and how you can use mail-in/absentee voting in Minnesota and make sure your ballot is counted.

United States Supreme Court Mail-In Ballot Decision Background

There are 14 states (not including Minnesota) and Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. that allow a “grace period” for mail-in ballots to be counted if they were postmarked before Election Day but received after Election Day. The grace periods were challenged in a lawsuit as being illegal. The United States Supreme Court, in Republican National Committee v. Watson, resolved the legal challenge by saying that states can choose to count ballots received after Election Day.

This is an important decision because many people with disabilities in these states and territories choose to vote by mail.

Again, this decision does not apply to Minnesota because Minnesota does not have a grace period. In other words, in Minnesota if your ballot is not received by Election Day, it will not be counted, see Sec. 203B.08 MN Statutes.

Using Mail-in/Absentee Voting in Minnesota and Making Sure Your Vote is Counted

If you want to use mail-in/absentee voting, you’ll need to first request a mail-in/absentee ballot. Find out how to do that on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

If you need an accessible absentee ballot (as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act), you can ask for one online or with a downloadable PDF application and then contact your county elections office to let them know you want an accessible ballot.

Next, once you have your mail-in/absentee ballot, you’ll need to return the ballot on time. The Minnesota Secretary of State has important resources on how to do that by returning your ballot by mail, dropping it off, using a Ballot Drop Box, and allowing someone to drop off your ballot for you. See all the resources and tips on the Minnesota Secretary Of State's Return your ballot page.

Also, the SOS notes that “some cities and towns vote by mail.” And that some places“ send ballots to every registered voter instead of having an Election Day polling place. Ballots sent to voters this way may be dropped off at the election office as late as 8 p.m. on Election Day.”

If you choose mail-in/absentee voting, you also track your ballot on the MNVotes Ballot Tracker page.

If you have questions about voting rights, contact Dan at dans@mcil-mn.org.

MCIL/ADA Minnesota Submits Comments on Education and Employment to Minnesota Olmstead Plan

The State of Minnesota is in the process of drafting a revised Olmstead Plan.

You can read a draft of the plan and learn more about it here: Plan Update / Minnesota Olmstead Implementation Office

The Minnesota Olmstead Implementation Office (OIO) explains that the Olmstead Plan aims to ensure that disabled Minnesotans live full, integrated lives in their chosen communities. The plan helps state agencies set and meet goals that will improve the quality of life for Minnesotans with disabilities. The plan covers a variety of topics including individual choice, person-centered planning, housing, education, employment, transportation, and more.

The Minnesota Olmstead Plan was created in 2013 and was named after the 1999 Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C.

Additionally, OIO discusses the origin of the State Plan. The catalyst for Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan was the Jensen Settlement Agreement. This settlement required the state of Minnesota to develop an Olmstead Plan. You can learn more about the Court's orders in the Jensen case in our Court Documents library.

As a part of the State’s Public Comment Process, MCIL/ADA Minnesota submitted its analysis and concerns about the Draft Plan’s sections on Employment and on Education. Our submissions are available here:

Education (PDF)
Employment (PDF)

27th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision

ADA Minnesota recognizes the 27^th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W. This precedential decision was premised on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and held that people with disabilities must be placed in “community settings rather than in institutions when the State's treatment professionals have determined that community placement is appropriate, the transfer from institutional care to a less restrictive setting is not opposed by the affected individual, and the placement can be reasonably accommodated, taking into account the resources available to the State and the needs of others.” (Id. Page 582). The principles announced in Olmstead decision and in the ADA have been applied to many others of community life including employment, education, housing, and, among other areas, access to public services. The United States Department of Justice has long enforced Olmstead principles. Lois Curtis (L.C.) and Elaine Wilson (E.W.), pictured below, were the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the State of Georgia.

Black and white photo of Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson.

Redesign of Disability Justice Website

Check out the fully revamped Disability Justice website!

Here’s the description:

"The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities is pleased to announce that our Disability Justice website has been fully revamped!

This redesign is more than a visual update—it reflects our continued commitment to inclusion, improved navigation, updated and expanded resources, and a design that centers the core value of equal justice under law. Whether you are a self‑advocate, family advocate, law school student, educator, policymaker, attorney, or community partner, we hope you'll find it easier than ever to connect with the tools and information that support the civil rights of people with developmental disabilities."