The Minnesota Supreme Court today ruled in favor of the City of Oak Grove in a case brought by the Upper Midwest Law Center, holding that the city has authority to decide whether paper or electronic voter rosters are used at precincts within its boundaries for the 2026 general election.
The ruling comes just days after UMLC argued the case before the Minnesota Supreme Court this week. The case, City of Oak Grove v. Steve Simon, et al., was brought 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 through an agreement with Anoka County, but later terminated that agreement and notified officials that it would use paper rosters in future elections.
The Supreme Court rejected the argument that Anoka County, rather than the City, controls the roster format for Oak Grove precincts in elections involving state, federal, or county offices. The Court held that Minnesota law does not limit a city’s authority to choose paper or electronic rosters for precincts inside city limits.
“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 to use paper voter rosters for the 2026 general election.
“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.
The Court issued its order with an opinion to follow. Click here to view the order.