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WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL) has opened an investigation and filed a formal records request with the Minnesota Secretary of State, seeking critical data and records related to the state’s “vouching” procedures used for Election Day Registration (EDR) and same-day voter registration updates. Minnesota currently permits registered voters to “vouch” for the residency of other individuals in lieu of requiring photo identification.
Registered voters may vouch for up to eight individuals in their precinct on Election Day. More concerning, however, is the fact that a single worker at a residential facility (such as a homeless shelter or nursing home) may vouch for an unlimited number of supposed residents without providing any documentation to confirm their residency.
These practices raise serious concerns about the integrity and oversight of Minnesota’s election processes.
To uncover the full impact of unverified “vouching” in Minnesota elections from August 2020 onwards, AFL filed multiple public records requests with the state, requesting:
Statistics, reports, or datasets reflecting the use of vouching to verify residence for Election Day Registration. Certified lists of residential facility employees authorized to vouch, submitted in advance to county election offices (as described in Secretary of State guidance). Lists provided on Election Day at polling places on residential facility letterhead, certifying staff authorized to vouch for residents. Lists of educational institutions submitting lists pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 135A.17. Communications, documents, or reports about new voter registration applications, including records relating to vouching, submitted on Election Day for which the information therein could not be verified. Communications about reports received of apparently fraudulent, suspicious, or potentially unlawful activity related to vouching.
“Elections change history, yet too many jurisdictions have election procedures that can be effortlessly exploited. A single worker employed at a nursing home in Minnesota should not be able to vouch for an unlimited number of purported residents without providing any evidence. AFL is investigating Minnesota elections to uncover the role of these lax election procedures on recent elections,” said Will Scolinos, Attorney at America First Legal.
Read the full public records request here.
Learn more about AFL’s fight for election integrity here.
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