Image shows Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon testifying before the Committee on House Administration in Washington, D.C. (Supplied)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon was pressed by lawmakers in Washington, D.C. on the integrity of the state's election systems.
Sec. Simon was questioned alongside Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwabe, showing differences in voting practices between the two states.
Noncitizen accused of voting in Fillmore County
What they're saying:
Sec. Simon was questioned about a Fillmore County man who was charged with perjury and a voting violation after allegedly voting in the 2024 election without being a U.S. citizen.
Rep. Bryan George Steil, a Republican representing Wisconsin's First Congressional District, questioned the secretary on the systems in place that allowed the alleged fraudulent vote to happen, leading to this exchange:
Steil: An individual from Fillmore County has now been charged with voting illegally, the individual, was sent, according to the report, voter registration material, following obtaining a driver's license, which is required, under federal law, that the state of Minnesota does that, is that correct?
Simon: Actually, no, Mr. Chair, because we are NVRA (National Voting Rights Act) exempt.
Steil: You're NVRA exempt, good qualification. But they are sent in the State of Minnesota, so not required under federal law, most states are, you're NVRA exempt. But you do send, the State of Minnesota sends voter registration material to every individual, that registers, that obtains a driver's license?
Simon: No, Mr. Chair, actually that's not how the system works. And I would just say as to the news report you're flagging, this individual said things, is reported to have said things, that just are not true, that he was sent some sort of, you know, application, that is not the state of the law, was not the state of the law when he registered, is alleged to have registered to vote in 2023. So I think he got that wrong, but no, we have a back end, AVR, automatic voter registration system, and the only folks who are eligible to even be in the pile to be considered to be registered to vote are those who produce citizenship affirming documentation at the time that they apply for that ID.
Steil: What citizenship affirmation documentation would they provide?
Simon: It could be naturalization papers, it could be a birth certificate, it could be a passport, but any person in Minnesota is entitled to do that. But again, they only get to the pile where they're even considered to be registered if they do that.
Steil: And why would you not use the SAVE database in Minnesota? It's free, right? Now, under the Trump administration, it has made the SAVE database free.
Simon: I think that's right. We have made the determination, every state has to make its own. I'm not throwing shade on my colleague, Secretary Schwabe, but we have made that it is not yet ready for use in Minnesota, and we would need a statutory change under Minnesota law to do so.
State voter turnout
Dig deeper:
Sec. Simon credited Minnesota's record of high voter turnout to what he says are "good laws" and a "good pro-voter culture" that aims to balance access and security.
The secretary was also questioned about the use of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) in Minnesota. The program is meant to improve the accuracy of voter rolls across state lines and increase access to voter registration. Sec. Simon said he finds the information "invaluable" despite only half the states in the country using it.
However, Sec. Schwabe said Kansas does not use it because the cost is too high.
Lawmakers also pressed the secretaries on voting by mail, signature verification and same-day registration.
The full committee hearing can be viewed here.
The Source: This story uses information from a Committee on House Administration hearing.