Minnesota Election Race Focuses on Ballot Security and State Identity

The race for Minnesota secretary of state centered on the tension between electoral access and security during a debate held at a St. Paul radio station on Friday, Oct. 30.

Incumbent Steve Simon, the Democrat seeking a fourth term, defended the current system using data from an MIT study. That report ranked Minnesota first on the Elections Performance Index, citing a 90.6% voter registration rate and an average wait time of 6.7 minutes. Simon also pointed to a University of St. Thomas analysis showing that only three out of 13.4 million votes cast between 2015 and 2024 were legally declared illegal.

Republican challenger Tad Jude, a former state legislator from St. Cloud, argued that same-day registration leaves the process open to error. Jude proposed requiring provisional ballots for voters who register on election day rather than allowing immediate voting. "An illegal vote is a stolen vote," Jude said. He also stated his intention to clean up voter rolls with various government agencies to ensure only U.S. citizens participate.

The candidates also addressed a federal lawsuit regarding Alaska's Senate election certification. Jude linked the dispute to ranked-choice voting, which he described as a method to put coalitions on the ballot. Simon characterized the Justice Department's involvement as a "banana republic" move. "You have the Justice Department saying, if our preferred candidate doesn't win, we're willing to throw that whole election out," Simon said.

A secondary point of contention was the state flag, adopted in 2024. Jude criticized the design process, noting that some local governments have voted to stop flying the new flag because voters were not directly asked for their input. Simon, who served on the redesign committee, countered that thousands of residents provided feedback on multiple proposals. He noted that a direct statewide vote on the symbol would require a constitutional amendment.

Simon, in office since 2015, is the longest-serving of Minnesota's elected constitutional officers. Jude entered the state legislature in 1972 at age 21, making him the youngest elected member at that time. Both candidates discussed the office's role in maintaining the statewide voter database and overseeing county-level election administration.

When asked about potential new state symbols, Simon mentioned suggestions for an official state soup, with chicken wild rice, chicken noodle, and pho cited as popular options. Jude said he did not have a specific recommendation, stating that the state did not necessarily need another symbol.

Two other candidates, Libertarian Chip Tangen and Green Seth Kuhl-Stennes, did not participate in the debate. Voters will decide the race on Nov. 3, with polling places generally open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.