Minnesota election official’s voter guidance raises concerns over non-citizen safeguards

A Minnesota election official’s appearance on Somali TV of Minnesota has drawn criticism over the state’s voting rules just days before the November election, after she explained that registered voters do not need to bring identification (ID) to the polls and that same-day registration is widely available.

Minnesota voter outreach director Melanie Hazelip told viewers during her Oct. 26 appearance, “If you’re already registered to vote, you don’t need to bring anything with you. You just show up to your early voting location, which is usually the county office or City Hall.”

“If you’re not registered to vote, you still have options,” she added. “If you have a Minnesota ID that is updated, that’s all you need to bring with you. If you don’t have that, there is a list of documents on our website that you can find. You still have options to get registered same day."

The clip spread rapidly on social media after the conservative account End Wokeness shared it, drawing sharp criticism from election integrity advocates. While the state requires U.S. citizenship to vote, critics argued that its election rules provide insufficient safeguards against non-citizen voting. 

They noted that a 2023 law signed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz allows Minnesota residents to obtain driver’s licenses and state IDs regardless of immigration status and that those IDs carry no citizenship indicator. Some also pointed to Minnesota’s vouching provision, under which a voter registered in the same precinct can attest to the residency of up to eight others seeking same-day registration.

“Citizenship is required by law. Real-time proof is not,” retired Navy intelligence officer Phillip C. Parrish wrote on X. “The same state that lost hundreds of millions to documented fraud in childcare, nutrition, and Medicaid programs is now advertising the lowest-friction path to the ballot on community TV. Affirm you’re a citizen. Cast the vote. Get investigated later — if at all. This is how the system is built. It is not an accident.”

Parrish added in a separate post that the state “didn’t just open the loopholes. They explained them on Somali TV.” 

Federalist Society co-founder David McIntosh accused Democrats of being on “a mission to tell every non-citizen how they can get away with voting in our elections.”

“How is this not election interference?” he asked.

Conservative commentator and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines also responded to the clip, saying, “This is why passing the SAVE America Act is crucial.”

The SAVE America Act, which President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to pass, would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and photo ID to cast a ballot.

The Minnesota Secretary of State’s office said in a statement cited by Fox News in an Oct. 29 report that it “provides information and resources on Minnesota election laws to hundreds of nonpartisan community groups every year as a part of our regular voter engagement efforts.”

The office defended Hazelip’s explanation of the law, saying she “provided accurate information” that has been “misinterpreted and misrepresented by political actors online.”

“With only a few days left before the election, we remain focused on making sure every eligible Minnesotan knows how and where to cast their ballot,” the office said, according to Fox News.

Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the conservative Center of the American Experiment, told Fox News that Hazelip should have emphasized the citizenship requirement, particularly given the proximity to Election Day.

“Given the timing, so close to the election — and the audience, Somali TV — she really should have emphasized the need to be an American citizen in order to vote,” he told the outlet.

Minnesota voters will choose Nov. 3 between Republican Michele Tafoya and Democrat Peggy Flanagan to succeed outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

The latest criticism comes as Minnesota officials have faced repeated scrutiny in recent months over fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs. In the state’s largest pandemic-related fraud scheme, known as Feeding Our Future, prosecutors said participants stole more than $250 million using fake meal sites, shell companies, and falsified invoices.

>> Feeding Our Future ‘mastermind’ sentenced to 41 years amid Minnesota Medicaid fraud crackdown <<

In September, local outlets reported that Hennepin County had shut down a $2 million relief program for certain businesses after reviewers flagged more than 200 of the program’s roughly 300 applicants for potential fraud.