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Update on Minnesota’s Automatic Voter Registration System

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Following the recent implementation of Minnesota’s automatic voter registration system, Secretary of State Steve Simon confirmed that despite a technical issue, there were no instances of ineligible individuals casting votes during the August primary elections.

This reassurance addresses concerns raised by Minnesota Republicans who were seeking clarity on the situation after state officials identified approximately 1,000 potentially problematic registrations. Officials noted they had made adjustments to the system after flagging these cases.

Since its launch in April, the automatic registration system has streamlined the voting process for residents applying for state-issued IDs such as driver’s licenses. Eligible individuals are now registered to vote automatically unless they choose to opt out. Additionally, the system allows 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister as voters, ensuring they are eligible to participate once they turn 18.

Upon discovering discrepancies in documentation, Simon reported that officials from the Department of Public Safety conducted a thorough review of all automatic registrations, which encompassed around 100,000 entries. “Out of an abundance of caution,” they deactivated about 1,000 registrations and will be notifying those affected that they need to re-register.

“The law is crystal clear. The law says this has to be airtight,” Simon emphasized during a press conference ahead of the impending early voting period in Minnesota. Notably, the state will join Virginia and South Dakota as one of the first in the nation to begin in-person voting for the 2024 presidential election.

To enhance the verification process, Simon indicated that each application will now be reviewed by a pair of officials from the Department of Public Safety. This additional oversight aims to guarantee that no ineligible voters are automatically registered in the future.

“I have every reason to believe that these steps adopted by the Department of Public Safety will lead to a reliable outcome,” Simon stated. “In other words, we won’t have the kind of glitch we saw, and we will not mistakenly allow someone who shouldn’t be voting to cast a ballot.”

Sen. Mark Koran, the lead Republican on the Minnesota Senate Elections Committee, acknowledged the changes made but advocated for more robust verification processes for all voters. He expressed hope that these developments would facilitate productive discussions in the coming year about establishing a uniform voter verification process throughout the state.

“I’m encouraged by their prompt response and adaptability, which will lead to fruitful conversations next year about putting in place a uniform voter verification process for every voter registration,” Koran said in a statement. “Regardless of the registration method — whether online or at polling places — every voter registration should undergo the same verification and review standards.”

Similarly, in Oregon, which has implemented a comparable automatic registration system, officials recently acknowledged that over 300 noncitizens had erroneously been registered to vote since 2021 due to what they described as a “data entry issue” during driver’s license applications. Of those registered, two had participated in elections since that time, violating state and federal laws prohibiting noncitizen voting.

Source
abcnews.go.com