Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon 'confident' in election security, mail-in ballot access
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Minnesota’s primary elections are on Aug. 11. The winning candidates will compete in the November general election for various local positions as well as seats in the governor’s office and Congress.
The state primaries are part of a nationwide battle between Democrats and Republicans over control of the U.S. House and Senate. They are also happening alongside multiple court battles over voting information and procedures, as President Donald Trump continues to repeat unfounded claims of voter fraud in Minnesota and other states where he has lost elections.
The Trump administration is suing at least 30 states including Minnesota for their voter data. Trump is also seeking more control over mail-in ballots through executive order, a move Minnesota and other states have sued to stop.
MPR News host Kelly Gordon talked with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, about how election officials are preparing for potential threats to election integrity and security.
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Preparing for the primaries
State law outlines some of the steps officials take ahead of elections, Simon said. For example, one law requires cities to test vote tabulating equipment and allow the public to watch.
“The local elections people, in essence, try to trick the machines,” he said. “They'll overvote. They'll crease. They'll put stray marks on there to see if everything adds up.”
Under state law, these tests must occur at least three days before the machines are used to count votes. Officials are not allowed to use machines that make any errors during testing.
His office and its counterparts at the local level plan for possible disruptions, including severe weather and power outages. He said he’s confident in the process.
“I have every reason to believe that for the primary and eventually the upcoming general election, we're going to have an election that's fair and accurate and honest and secure.”
Build your ballot: Minnesota's 2026 primary electionLack of cooperation with the federal government
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported the federal government is not sharing information on election security threats with the state, as it has in the past.
Simon said the Department of Homeland Security has worked with the state on election planning for at least a decade, across the Obama and Biden administrations as well as Trump’s first term in office.
“For whatever reason, there has been a real retreat on the part of Department of Homeland Security and the federal government generally, in terms of the mission of helping states put on secure elections, so we in Minnesota and other states have had to fend for ourselves,” he said.
Simon said the state has “filled in the holes” left by the lack of federal participation.
Planning for threats to election integrity
Simon said he worries about any interference with the right to vote, whether that’s coming from a storm or the federal government. He said he is preparing for the possibility of federal actions that would impede voting.
“I'm not predicting that will happen any more than I'm predicting a bomb threat will happen because we plan for the bomb threat,” he said.
Simon said his office has communicated with other secretaries of state and attorneys general across the country to discuss how they would handle various scenarios.
“That includes a legal response. It includes logistical issues. It includes communications: how would we get word out to the public about any particular obstruction or problem with someone's freedom to vote,” he said. “We're actively thinking about and gaming out these scenarios so that we'll be ready.”
Concerns of federal agents being at the polls
A main concern he hears from members of the public about the general election is the possibility of ICE and Border Patrol agents intimidating voters at the polls.
“We've got really good laws in place in Minnesota that cover that really restrict access around a polling place, and we've been in touch with law enforcement locally, so they're aware or reminded of that tool in the toolbox,” he said.
He added that Minnesota voters have other options to cast their ballots before visiting the polls in person on Election Day. They can cast ballots early or by mail.
The voting process: Answers to your voting and election questions in MinnesotaOngoing election-related lawsuits
Trump’s attempt to restrict mail-in voting is still moving through federal courts. But Simon said judges have so far been critical of the President’s move.
An appeals court has upheld lower court rulings blocking an executive order Trump issued in March. It would give the federal government control over who can receive mail-in ballots. Trump has asked the Supreme Court to take up the issue. In a separate case, a different appeals court declined to block the order.
“With such little time to go left in the election, it seems hard for me to believe that a court would allow this to go through,” Simon said. “But it is still in litigation.”
He said he’s confident that mail ballots will remain a secure option for voting in Minnesota.
Additionally, the Department of Justice has asked states to provide detailed voter registration information and sued at least 30 states, including Minnesota, that refused to comply. Twenty of those lawsuits have been dismissed, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
“They're asking for social security information, driver's license information, and we think federal law is quite clear and state law that they're not entitled to that sensitive info,” Simon said. “This isn't about hiding anything or not wanting to show anything. It's about abiding by the law.”
Simon said with more than a dozen rulings in so far, no court has ruled in favor of the DOJ.
Preventing voter fraud
Simon said the occurrence of noncitizens or others who are ineligible to vote casting ballots is “microscopic.” He said the state’s systems are working.
“We have a variety of laws and practices before, during and after elections, which are meant to — and do — prevent, and in the rare cases they happen, find, instances of people doing something they're not supposed to do,” he said.
A recent audit of voter registration data in the state found county officials correctly verified voter identities 99 percent of the time. But it said they should take steps to better update voter records.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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