Minnesota Campaign Disclaimer Builder

Start with the part that calms people down: the statute asks for a disclaimer substantially in the form it provides. That is the real test — elements, not an incantation. The elements are the name of the entity causing the material to be prepared or disseminated, an address, the model attribution phrase, and prominent placement on the piece. A stray comma is not what gets anyone in trouble. Even so, substantial compliance is a defense, not a design strategy, so use the model wording. The 2026 rewrite collapsed the old two-form structure into one unified line for all non-broadcast campaign material: Prepared and paid for by (name of entity), (address). Broadcast is shorter — Paid for by (name of entity).

Two wrinkles the builder handles for you. First, the address: for campaign material the research behind this tool found three permitted options — the entity’s mailing address, an actively monitored email address (new in 2026), or the entity’s website, but only if the site itself shows a mailing or email address. A bare URL over a contact-free site does not satisfy it. Second, no-cost material: the statute says “paid for” may be omitted, which read literally yields nonsense; the Board’s current handout describes dropping “and paid for.” The builder follows the Board. Worked example — a committee registered as Friends of Jane Doe, paying for its own door hangers, using its mailing address: Prepared and paid for by Friends of Jane Doe, 123 Main St, Ada, MN 56510.

Now the formatting split. In force today, for written communications other than an outdoor sign, website, or social media page: 8-point type or larger, in black text or high-contrast color text, on a white background. That white background is new in 2026. A disclaimer reversed out in white along the bottom of a dark postcard — ordinary practice two years ago — is arguably no longer compliant. Signs are on a different clock. The size rules — 12-point under 2ft by 3ft, at least one inch from 2ft by 3ft up to 4ft by 8ft, at least six inches above that — apply to signs printed on or after 1 January 2027, and signs printed before then that miss them may still be used. The Board encourages 2026 compliance; encouraged is not required.

One asymmetry: the 2026 session also created 10A.067, covering paid advertising that urges people to contact an official about a legislative or administrative action. It carries the same size rules with no 2027 grandfather, so a large grassroots-lobbying sign printed this week already needs the bigger disclaimer while an otherwise identical candidate yard sign does not until 2027. The honest limits: this builder sets type. It cannot tell you whether you need a disclaimer at all, which form applies, or whether your art clears “high contrast” — a phrase with no numeric standard anywhere we could find. None of this is legal advice. Verify with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board at cfb.mn.gov, the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, or your own counsel — our disclaimer guide goes deeper.