WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) along with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06), and Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-08), Michelle Fishbach (MN-07), and Brad Finstad (MN-01) sent a letter to Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon demanding information on how Minnesota laws led to a noncitizen resident, who did not register to vote, receiving a primary ballot.

"I have spent significant time this Congress taking steps to ensure that noncitizens are not voting in federal elections and that States have the tools to clean their voter rolls,” Chairman Steil said. "As we rapidly approach Election Day, Americans deserve confidence that Minnesota has the right procedures in place to prevent noncitizen voting. This troubling circumstance does not inspire that confidence.”

"Only American citizens should be voting in American elections. This isn’t controversial – it’s common sense. We will continue to demand answers from the Walz Administration until we are sure that only eligible citizens are casting ballots in our elections," Majority Whip Emmer said. 

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s open border policies have impacted everything from our public safety to the integrity of our elections," Congressman Finstad said. "In Minnesota alone, Secretary of State Steve Simon stated that of the nearly 90,000 voters registered through automatic voter registration, one percent, or roughly 1,000, were deemed problematic and in need of name, address, and citizenship confirmations. It is time for Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson and Secretary of State Simon to do their jobs and provide the transparency and accountability that Minnesotans deserve."
 
"When Governor Walz gave driver's licenses to illegals combined with automatic voter registration, it created an alarming, higher than ever potential for fraud and voting by noncitizens. Secretary Simon and Commissioner Jacobson must act to protect the integrity of our elections from the Governor’s poor decisions. I am grateful to join Chairman Steil and Minnesota Republicans in providing oversight and look forward to receiving assurances that only every legal vote will count in the upcoming election," Congressman Stauber said.
 
"My constituents have asked me to continue raising their concerns about election security in Minnesota for over a year, and I have repeatedly pushed back about the dangers of state policies that will lead to confusion and mistrust of our voting system. Now, with early voting already underway, we still have not seen appropriate action taken by the state. Instead, we are getting reports of non-citizens appearing on voter rolls and even receiving ballots in the mail," Congresswoman Fischbach said. "We hear the words ‘threat to our democracy’ thrown around a lot when talking about differences in political ideology or personalities. But the real threat to this democracy’s future is when voters lose faith in the integrity of our elections. Commissioner Jacobson and Secretary Simon must provide clear and satisfactory answers to our questions. They must be able to quickly to assure the people of Minnesota that only American citizens are voting in our elections."

Read the full letter here.

Background:

January 2023, Chairman Bryan Steil with the Republican Minnesota delegation sent a letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon expressing concerns that noncitizens in Minnesota might be voting in federal elections.

In March 2023, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed The Driver's License for All law, allowing 80,000 noncitizens living in Minnesota to apply for driver's licenses or state identification.

An unregistered noncitizen resident reported receiving a ballot for Minnesota's August primary in the mail, despite not registering to vote.

###