The RNC criticizes Walz administration for not providing an answer on how noncitizens ended up on Minnesota voter rolls: 'No hypothetical'

The Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz administration has not disclosed how noncitizens ended up on the state's voter rolls, as per the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Minnesota GOP, who sent a letter to the Department of Public Safety.

In a letter to the Walz administration, Kevin Cline, election integrity counsel for the Republican National Committee, and David Hann, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, raised concerns about a noncitizen who received a primary ballot without registering to vote.

This week, Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety responded to Cline and Hann.

The Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services Division (DVS) ensures that only U.S. citizens' information is forwarded to the Office of the Secretary of State by reviewing a list of specific documents that prove citizenship and conducting a second review upon issuance of the applicant's documents to verify their classification in the system.

If DVS discovers that a document has been misclassified as evidence of citizenship, DVS rectifies the classification and does not transmit the record to the Office of the Secretary of State for automatic voter registration. Jacobson stated that DVS is also conducting a comprehensive, manual review of all records that have been deemed eligible for AVR since the law took effect in 2023 to guarantee a fair and secure election this fall.

In March 2023, Walz signed a bill into law allowing illegal noncitizens to receive driver's licenses. However, less than two months later, Walz signed the "Democracy for the People Act," which permitted automatic voter registration through DVS.

Although we acknowledge your explanation of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division ("DVS")'s role in verifying each applicant's U.S. citizenship, your response did not clarify how noncitizens managed to pass that process and eventually end up on Minnesota's voter rolls, as stated in a letter obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital.

Your department registered lawfully present noncitizens to vote, and Minnesota voters have a right to know how this mistake happened and how it is being rectified.

"The letter states that the implementation of Minnesota's AVR system, initiated by Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate Tim Walz, gives the impression that it was intended to facilitate the registration of noncitizens. Additionally, the letter highlights that Minnesota's voter registration system is currently vulnerable to illegal voter registrations."

It is concerning that your department is only now reviewing voter records that are eligible for automatic voter registration ('AVR').

"Jacobson was informed that the review process for this type of review should have been completed multiple times on a consistent schedule since the implementation of AVR. However, the fact that the review process is only now beginning indicates that it is being done as a result of the flaws in the AVR system and the noncitizens on the rolls that were highlighted in the previous letter."

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment. Cline and Hann demanded Jacobson provide detailed answers to several questions, including when citizenship checks were put into place, when the thorough manual review would begin, what it would consist of, and when the results would be shared with the public.

Jacobson was questioned about his reporting practices under 201.145, including the frequency of reports sent to the secretary of state, the number of reports sent since the implementation of AVR, and whether these reports include noncitizens who are not lawfully present in Minnesota. Additionally, he was asked if he has compared the individuals reported under 201.145 with his own AVR records, the number of noncitizens who have been issued a driver's license and sent to OSS since the implementation of AVR, and the number of individuals who have been sent to the secretary of state since the implementation of AVR.

Did Cline and Hann inquire about any pressure from the Governor's Office or other sources to expedite the registration process?

"The automatic voter registration system in Minnesota should not dilute the votes of citizens because of departmental errors in filtering out noncitizens. The AVR system's design and implementation have resulted in mistakes, but it is not too late to provide transparency and address the issues before the November election."