DOJ demands more voter records from Minnesota

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding Minnesota election officials turn over records relating to its long-held practice of allowing a voter to vouch for another person on Election Day.

Federal officials say they are making the demand to ensure Minnesota is in compliance with federal law.

“The Department of Justice is particularly concerned with votes and registrations accepted on the basis of ‘vouching’ from other registered voters or residential facility employees,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil rights division, wrote in a letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Jan 2.

The letter is the latest in a series of demands and threats federal officials have levied at Minnesota’s elected leaders, especially after President Donald Trump’s criticism late last year of the state’s Somali population and Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of fraud in the state’s social safety net system.

Online conservative activists appear to be increasingly setting the federal government’s agenda. The Trump administration’s recent pledge to freeze child care payments to Minnesota followed a viral video that alleged widespread fraud.

Dhillon’s Jan. 2 letter came just days after a conservative influencer alleged on social media that Minnesota’s vouching process allows for fraud. That social media post spawned articles in conservative media and the attention of Trump himself.

A Simon spokesman said his office is reviewing the letter and declined to comment.

Minnesota is now one of 23 states that allows same-day registration; many studies have concluded that it generally increases turnout according to the MIT Election Lab.

State law allows for several methods to prove eligibility, including showing a government ID with their name and current address. The law also allows a registered voter to vouch for another voter to confirm their address.

In an earlier statement, a Secretary of State’s office spokeswoman said the vouching process is rarely used and accounted for less than .6% of votes cast in the 2024 election. It’s most often used in senior living facilities and other situations where a would-be voter hasn’t updated their ID to their new address.

Vouchers must sign an affidavit and can be prosecuted if any discrepancies are found. Both individuals’ information is recorded and verified after every election, the spokeswoman said.

“Having two people actually put themselves at legal peril, both the voucher and the voter, provides some security,” said Virgil Wiebe, a professor of law at University of St. Thomas.