October 28, 2026
ST. PAUL – Rep. Ben Davis, R-Merrifield, joined fellow lawmakers in calling on Secretary of State Steve Simon to take stronger action to prevent noncitizens from registering and voting in Minnesota following a new round of federal voter fraud indictments.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced charges against 10 foreign nationals accused of voter fraud in Minnesota elections, including allegations of illegal voting in the 2022 and 2024 general elections and the August 2026 primary. The indictments follow another federal case announced earlier in September involving a noncitizen accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to vote in Minnesota’s 2024 election.
“Secretary Simon and others have insisted that noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare and that Minnesota’s existing safeguards are sufficient, yet the cases keep coming,” Davis said. “At some point, we have to stop dismissing these cases as isolated incidents and start asking whether the safeguards we have in place are actually enough.”
Davis co-authored HF 3723 during the 2026 legislative session, which would require verification of a voter’s eligibility before an absentee ballot is sent. The legislation was referred to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee but did not advance.
The lawmakers’ letter calls on Simon to work with state and federal officials to strengthen safeguards and ensure only legally eligible voters cast ballots in Minnesota elections.
“We’ve already put forward a commonsense safeguard that could help prevent this,” Davis said. “The next step should be working together to close these gaps before more ineligible ballots are cast. Minnesotans deserve an election system they can trust.”
