Minn. Secretary of State responds to online voter registration concerns

Mark Ritchie
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, the state's chief election official.
MPR photo/Tim Pugmire

Republican Minnesota lawmakers are questioning whether Secretary of State Mark Ritchie had the authority to develop an online voter registration system without legislative approval.

From MPR News:

Among them is state Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, who is considering another run for the secretary of state job she once held. Kiffmeyer lost her bid for a third term as secretary of state to Ritchie in 2006.

"Doing anything online has a risk with it, and especially something like this, and I just want to be sure," Kiffmeyer said. "My concerns are it hasn't gone through the legislative process. It has not been vetted by our state IT department, nor the expertise that we have. It's been done on a unilateral basis."

She and other Republicans want the Senate Subcommittee on Elections to hold a hearing to address their concerns.

Ritchie joins The Daily Circuit to discuss the voter registration system and the controversy at the State Capitol.

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