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President Donald Trump's Justice Department is demanding records from Minnesota related to its voter registration practices, raising concerns about the state’s same-day "vouching" policy.
The policy allows a registered voter to "vouch" for up to eight people seeking same-day registration, and it has come under fresh scrutiny amid broader concerns about election integrity in the wake of Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Friday, requesting unredacted records covering the March 2024 primary and the November 2024 general election.
Dhillon called on the state to hand over digital records related to same-day registrations, votes cast by same-day registrants, and audit and compliance records under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The Minnesota State Capitol building. The Justice Department has written to the state demanding records related to Minnesota’s same-day voter registration practices in the wake of concerns about the state’s same-day "vouching" policy. (Steve Karnowski/Associated Press)
"The basis and purpose of this demand is to ensure Minnesota’s registration and voting practices are in compliance with federal law, particularly the minimum requirements under HAVA," Dhillon wrote in the letter she shared on X.
"The Department of Justice is particularly concerned with votes and registrations accepted on the basis of ‘vouching’ from other registered voters or residential facility employees," Dhillon said, "as well as other same-day registration procedures."
Minnesota’s election system has drawn scrutiny following legislation signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023 that provided for "Driver’s Licenses for All," allowing state-issued licenses regardless of immigration status. The policy also stipulates that the licenses carry no markings indicating citizenship, even though such IDs are among the forms of identification accepted during voter registration.
Minnesota law separately allows same-day voter registration through a process known as "vouching," under which a registered voter can attest to the residency of up to eight other voters who want to register on Election Day and do not present qualifying identification.
According to an official fact sheet from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, the registered voter must accompany the person or people to the polling place and sign an oath verifying their address.
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A sign is seen outside a polling place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has cited concerns about the state's vouching policy that lets one voter verify residency for eight others. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
"A registered voter can vouch for up to eight voters. You cannot vouch for others if someone vouched for you," the department said in the fact sheet.
Residents who are not vouched for and who want to vote on the same day must provide at least one form of identity verification, including a valid Minnesota driver’s license or learner’s permit, a receipt for either, or a tribal identification card that includes a photo and signature.
So long as the prospective voter can prove residency, the proof-of-ID can include a driver’s license or learner’s permit from any state, a passport, an expired ID, a military ID, or a Minnesota college or high school identification card.
If a person is registered to vote in a precinct but changed their name or moved within the precinct, they may still vote after informing the precinct election judge of their previous name or address.
The "vouching" policy was signed into law by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. (Getty Images)
Simon’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
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Dhillon’s move was praised by Republican activist Scott Presler, who leads voter registration efforts nationwide.
"WOW! This is huge. Thank you so, so much," Presler wrote in response to Dhillon’s X post sharing her letter.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
