MVA Challenges rule Allowing Ineligible Persons to vote Absentee Without Vetting
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the Minnesota Voters Alliance (MVA) and co-plaintiffs Representatives Eric Lucero, Mary Franson, Duane Quam, and former legislator, Cindy Pugh, filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. This filing petitions the Minnesota Court of Appeals to stop the Secretary from enforcing an election Rule that directly conflicts with statutory law.
In Minnesota, the state verifies a voter’s eligibility after an election and then marks the person’s voter record as “challenged” if records show the person is a convicted felon still on parole, a non-citizen, or adjudicated to be incompetent, or, if attempts fail to verify the identity of the person. The problem is that Minnesota Rule 8210.0225 requires that all such “challenged” voters who seek absentee ballots (in subsequent elections) be treated as “not-registered” persons. That is, the “challenge” status is ignored.
The Secretary of State’s election procedures, therefore, violate Minnesota statutes that expressly require “vetting” all persons with a challenged status when they apply for absentee ballots.
Read the rest at Minnesota Voters Alliance
