The Minnesota Republican Party and the Republican National Committee are calling for an investigation after foreign nationals claim they received primary election ballots in the mail without being registered to vote.
In what has been described as “likely not an isolated incident,” a foreign national legally in Minnesota reported to the state Republican Party that he had not registered to vote or requested a ballot, but that he was currently on the Minnesota voter rolls and had received a primary election ballot in the mail. The individual claimed he did not know how the ballot was sent and was concerned it might affect his residency and future citizenship eligibility.
Republican National Committee election integrity counsel Kevin Kline and Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hahn sent a letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steven Simon last week calling for an immediate review of the voter rolls to ensure that only eligible citizens are registered and receive a ballot, a thorough investigation and immediate relief.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who recently became Kamala Harris’ running mate, signed a bill known as “Driver’s License for All” into law in March 2023 that would allow state residents to obtain a driver’s license regardless of their immigration status. At the time, the governor said there were 81,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota and that the law would “make everyone safer in the state of Minnesota.”
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks with Sen. Kamala Harris at a campaign rally at Temple University in Philadelphia on August 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
“The risk of foreign nationals engaging in election activity in Minnesota has never been higher,” Klein and Han wrote. “With the passage of HF4-2023, individuals seeking to obtain a Minnesota driver’s license or identification card are no longer required to show proof of citizenship or lawful presence.”
Republicans pointed out that county election officials rely on the state’s voter registration system to verify voter eligibility.
“Is the SVRS system capable of keeping up with the recent changes in Minnesota law regarding ‘drivers licenses for all,'” they asked the Minnesota Secretary of State. “Has your office verified the eligibility of people who are automatically registered when they interact with state government agencies?”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a campaign event in Detroit on August 7, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
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The case of foreign nationals allegedly receiving primary election ballots “indicates either a serious flaw in Minnesota’s system for preventing foreign nationals from voting in elections in the state of Minnesota or a dereliction of duty by officials responsible for ensuring that voter registration is open only to those who are eligible,” the letter said. “We understand that rulemaking for automatic voter registration has not yet occurred. What steps has your office taken to ensure that only U.S. citizens are on the voter rolls?”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz at Temple University in Philadelphia, Aug. 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
The letter sets a deadline of Monday, Aug. 12, for Simon’s office to provide the Republican National Committee and the Minnesota Republican Party with “information regarding the procedures and standard operating procedures your office has in place to ensure that foreign nationals are not registered to vote, much less receive ballots that they have not requested.”
The letter also calls on Simon’s office to “immediately review all voter registrations within SVRS and take steps to ensure that only voters who are eligible to vote are registered and receive a ballot.”
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“This is a potentially catastrophic failure of our voter registration system,” Klein and Hahn wrote. “We demand that immediate action be taken to investigate the causes and immediately remedy the situation. Full transparency in these processes is the only way to ensure the confidence in our elections that Minnesotans deserve.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Simon and Waltz’s offices for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
