It’s no secret that many voters have been heavily influenced over the last few years to lose confidence in our voting systems, despite a lack of credible evidence of election fraud.
The proliferation of misinformation on social media makes it more important than ever that voters get accurate information to restore confidence in the integrity of our elections.
We can be proud of Minnesota’s long-standing commitment to transparent and trustworthy elections. Our state consistently ranks among the top three in the nation for voter turnout and election performance.
Nonpartisan, bipartisan and even right-leaning organizations, the Heritage Foundation and the libertarian Cato Institute, have debunked the persistent falsehood that noncitizen immigrants have been voting in large numbers, finding no evidence that noncitizen voting has ever impacted an election outcome.
In a Minnesota study released earlier this year, University of St. Thomas law professor Virgil Wiebe reported a total of three noncitizen voting convictions from 2015 to 2024 with 13.4 million votes cast in our state over that period.
How can we restore confidence that our elections are fair and honest? Voter eligibility, counting accuracy and security are key.
While federal laws play a role, election procedures are primarily regulated by state law.
Local county, city and township officials, often familiar faces in your community, administer the voting process before, on and after election day, with limited oversight from the Minnesota secretary of state.
The county attorney is responsible for handling alleged violations of election laws, supported by law enforcement for investigations.
This year marks 30 years since 28 town boards and city councils in Cass County first opted for mail balloting in 1994. Many of these precincts still vote by mail today.
Town boards and city councils across Cass County have demonstrated continued confidence in mail balloting, which has grown to 43 of 71 precincts voting by mail in 2024.
Voter registration: The gateway to voting is voter registration.
Minnesota’s statewide voter registration database is rigorously maintained through routine data-matches using driver’s licenses, Social Security data and other public records related to voter eligibility.
To register at the polls on election day, voters must provide proof of identity and residency to ensure they meet eligibility requirements.
Immigrants without documented status who become eligible to apply for a Minnesota driver’s license in October under a new law will not be automatically registered to vote. They cannot vote unless they become U.S. citizens, provide proof of citizenship and meet all other eligibility requirements.
Election equipment: All election equipment and associated computer systems are tested against manually tallied test ballots, verified for accuracy, certified for use and then secured before every election.
State law mandates uniform testing and operating procedures. While some advocate for hand-counting ballots, studies have demonstrated for decades that machine counting of paper ballots is more accurate and efficient.
Paper ballots: Paper ballots, considered the “gold standard” for election integrity, provide a reliable means of vote-count verification.
No ballot is issued or accepted without verification of voter eligibility, and numerous guardrails prevent the acceptance of fake ballots.
Regardless of how ballots are cast — by mail, drop-off, in-person early voting or at polling places on election day — physical evidence and manual records match the electronic records throughout the system.
Ballot security: Accepted absentee and mail ballots are tracked statewide for each voter to prevent duplicate voting.
Physical security of ballots, election records, election equipment and related systems is maintained through restricted, controlled access.
Mathematical checks are performed at multiple checkpoints to catch human errors and ensure accuracy. Bipartisan election judge panels oversee ballot and equipment security at polling places.
Cybersecurity: Robust cybersecurity is cooperatively supported by all levels of government.
Voting systems sold in the United States must pass rigorous federal and state security and technical standards.
Certification and review: Election results are certified by canvassing boards composed of local officials. Those meetings are open to the public.
Post-election reviews, also open to the public, compare machine-counted election results with hand-counted results from a randomly selected sample of precincts to verify accuracy.
Complete hand-recounts can be requested by losing candidates when the results are close. The cost to the candidate hinges on how close the race is.
Addressing voter concerns: Voters have avenues to address concerns, including filing a complaint if they believe an election law has been violated.
If a voter has personal knowledge that another person is ineligible to vote, they can challenge that person’s eligibility. Complaint and challenge forms are available at the polls on election day or can be requested from the county election office.
Also, a losing candidate can file an election contest lawsuit if they believe a serious violation of election law caused them to lose the election.
Get involved and stay informed to learn more
Attend election equipment public accuracy tests. Cass County publishes tabulation equipment testing protocols and accuracy test notices on the election pages of its website at
www.co.cass.mn.us
, along with meeting notices and voting information.Sign up to be an election judge for the next election training cycle.Attend post-election reviews and recounts, which are open to the public.Refer to official government websites for accurate voting and election information. Stay aware of the abundance of misinformation in our society.Register, update or verify your voter registration; apply for and track your absentee ballot; find your polling place; view a sample ballot for your precinct; view election results and more on the Minnesota Secretary of State website at
www.sos.state.mn.us
.
Minnesota’s election laws have been shaped over decades to ensure accountability and integrity through logical processes, rigorous recordkeeping, technological advances and time-tested methods.
Early voting begins Friday, Sept. 20, for the general election on Nov. 5. You can cast your ballot with confidence, trusting the system that has served us well over many decades.
If you have questions, contact your county election office, or city or township clerk.
Sharon Anderson, Backus, is a member of the Cass County DFL Party, which writes A Fresh Look monthly. She is also a retired Cass County auditor-treasurer and election administrator.
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Publish date : 2024-09-20 02:07:00
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