What it takes to make elections secure and accessible

About this episode

The episode discusses the balance between election security and accessibility in light of recent legislative efforts and claims of voter fraud.

The midterm elections are still months away, but voting is already a major focus. President Donald Trump has claimed that non-citizens vote illegally in large numbers, though there’s no evidence of widespread fraud. Still, he has backed the SAVE Act, which would require in-person proof of citizenship to register. It passed the House, stalled in the Senate and some Republican-led states are moving ahead with similar requirements. At the same time, the federal government is seeking access to state voter rolls , the president’s attacks on mail-in voting have ramped up and the Supreme Court may weigh in on mail-in ballot deadlines. So how secure are elections in Minnesota and across the country? Are new laws needed — or not? MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about how our election systems can balance security with access. Guests: Steve Simon has been Minnesota’s Secretary of State since 2015. He oversees elections and partners with township, city and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s four million eligible voters. He previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives representing St. Louis Park and Hopkins. He’s a past president of…

People in this episode

Host: Angela Davis

Guests: Steve Simon, Jennifer Morrell

Topics covered

• election security
• voter access
• mail-in voting
• legislation
• citizenship proof
• state voter rolls

Keywords

• elections
• voting
• security
• accessibility
• legislation
• mail-in ballots
• citizenship
• voter rolls

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Elections Group, Minnesota House of Representatives

Places: Minnesota, United States

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