DOJ Eyes Minnesota’s ‘Vouching’ System For Voter Registration, Demands Records

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division demanded voter registration records from Minnesota on Jan. 2, saying the state’s law that allows people to “vouch” for others’ residency for voter registration appeared inconsistent with federal voting laws.

According to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ is “particularly concerned” with votes and registrations accepted by “vouching” from other registered voters or residential facility employees, along with other same-day registration procedures.

Minnesota allows a registered voter to vouch for up to eight other individuals on Election Day.

Employees of senior care homes or other group facilities can vouch for an unlimited number of residents in their facilities.

As Jill McLaughlin reports below for The Epoch Times, Dhillon sent a letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon demanding that he turn over all records documenting same-day voter registrations, records for votes cast by voters registered under same-day voter registrations, and other records related to the registrations and votes.

The request is for records going back 22 months, including the March 5, 2024, primary election and Nov. 5, 2024, general election.

The demand was made under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and is to “ensure Minnesota’s registration and voting practices are in compliance with federal law, particularly the minimum requirement under [the Help America Vote Act],” according to the letter.

Minnesota’s “system seems facially inconsistent with the Help America Vote Act of 2002. We’ll see!” Dhillon posted on X on Friday.

The Help America Vote Act was passed by Congress in 2002 to reform the voting process by improving voting systems and voter access, following the 2000 election, when Florida’s recount exposed significant flaws in outdated punch-card voting machines that resulted in “hanging” and “dimpled” chads. Minnesota passed same-day voter registration in 1974.

Simon’s office did not return a request for comment about the demand.

Former Trump administration special government employee Elon Musk, who has been outspoken about recent developments in Minnesota, said the state’s voting system was “made for fraud” in an X post on Dec. 27, 2025.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington on Sept. 29, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Meanwhile, federal investigations into alleged widespread fraud continue in Minnesota.

In the latest move, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has suspended 6,900 of the state’s borrowers amid suspected fraudulent activity in the state’s pandemic-era loan programs, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said on Jan 1.

President Donald Trump said this week his administration plans to continue targeting alleged social services fraud in the state but may also focus on other states.

California, Illinois, and New York could be committing fraud that is allegedly worse, Trump said.

The DOJ has charged nearly 100 people in Minnesota as fraud investigations continue, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.