A great deal of attention has rightly been focused on the massive fraud scandal engulfing Minnesota’s social services system. The scale alone has been impossible to ignore. But that’s no longer the only red flag. A report from Scott Presler, founder of Early Vote Action, has shifted some of the spotlight to another deeply troubling area: potential voter fraud.
Presler zeroed in on a particularly eyebrow-raising feature of Minnesota’s election process: the rule that allows a registered voter to vouch for the residency of up to eight other people seeking same-day registration—so long as they’re in the same precinct. Those being vouched for, conveniently enough, are barred from vouching for anyone else, a limitation that sounds reassuring until you think about how easily the system can still be exploited.
It gets even looser. An employee of a residential facility is permitted to vouch for an unlimited number of residents at that facility. In both cases, the voter or employee is required to swear under oath that the person they’re vouching for actually lives in the precinct.
The process naturally raises serious questions—especially when you combine mass vouching with same-day voter registration. In a state already reeling from multiple fraud scandals, the idea that large numbers of voters can be waved through on nothing more than an oath should concern anyone who cares about election integrity.
Now the issue has drawn the attention of the Trump administration. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon is demanding answers, formally requesting records and explanations in a letter sent to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon:
Today I sent Secretary Simon a letter demanding records pertaining to Minnesota’s “vouching” system for voter registration, pursuant to my authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
This system seems facially inconsistent with the Help America Vote Act of 2002. We’ll see! pic.twitter.com/sqkqdqfGSF
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) January 2, 2026
Dhillon’s request was sweeping—and deliberately so. She demanded records for all federal elections over the past 22 months, including documentation supporting same-day voter registrations and every record tied to Minnesota’s vouching process under Minn. Stat. 201.061, Subd. 3, along with related same-day voting procedures.
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In plain terms, that net absolutely covers the 2024 primary and general election.
Dhillon gave the state 15 days to turn over the materials, making it clear this isn’t a courtesy request—it’s a compliance check. The purpose is to determine whether Minnesota’s loose registration and vouching practices actually meet federal election-law requirements, including those meant to safeguard ballot integrity.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon now has a clock ticking, and vague assurances won’t cut it. For his part, Scott Presler welcomed the move, cheering the federal scrutiny as long overdue.
WOW!
This is huge.
Thank you so, so much.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) January 2, 2026
That’s a major win for election integrity, full stop. The fact that this process is finally being scrutinized is long overdue—and it sends a clear signal that “trust us” governance isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Naturally, Minnesota’s Democratic officials are claiming that there are plenty of safeguards built into the system, but of course, that’s a hard sell to many Americans, especially in light of the massive fraud taking place elsewhere:
Bill Glahn of the Center for the American Experiment – a Twin Cities-based conservative public policy organization – said of proponents who talk of safeguards, “it’s like murder’s illegal, but it happens all the time.”
“It’s a penalty of perjury,” he said. “You signed an oath, but if you signed as Mickey Mouse, they’re not going to find you.”
Good to see Trump’s Justice Department on this.
