Data from the Minnesota secretary of state shows that 18,898 people used “vouching” to either update their voter registration, or become registered to vote, in Minnesota in 2024. That information was obtained by America First Legal in a data request.
Under Minnesota state law, an individual seeking to become registered to vote on Election Day can confirm their residency simply by having a registered voter “vouch” for them. In short, the registered voter signs an oath confirming the unregistered person’s address.
State law allows a registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight people. However, staff at residential facilities are not bound by the eight-person vouching limit. The state’s voter vouching system was recently criticized by congressional Republicans.
Now, America First Legal, a nonprofit law firm based in Washington, D.C., has obtained data from the Minnesota secretary of state which shows how many people have used the vouching system in recent elections.
According to data from the Minnesota secretary of state, 18,898 people used vouching on Election Day in 2024. Of those individuals, 13,441 updated their voter registration records while 5,457 were newly registered to vote.
In 2022, 10,278 people used vouching on Election Day. That figure is significantly lower than 2024 because 2022 was a midterm with far lower turnout. Of the 10,278 individuals, 8,063 updated the voter registration records while 2,215 were newly registered to vote.
In 2020, 17,616 people used vouching on Election Day. In total, 12,547 people updated their voter registration records while 5,069 were newly registered to vote.
America First Legal noted that it requested data on the vouching method used, but the Minnesota secretary of state’s office said it “does not record or maintain data on vouching method (i.e., residential facility staff vs. registered voter).”
“With tens of thousands of voters registering through vouching across recent cycles, without basic verification safeguards, the vouching policies and practices leave Minnesota’s elections vulnerable and risk Americans’ votes being canceled by fraudulently registered voters,” America First Legal attorney Will Scolinos said in a press release.
In a statement to Alpha News, the Minnesota secretary of state’s office said “Minnesota law has allowed for vouching for more than 50 years. However, use of the process is very rare. In the 2024 general election, less than 0.6% of votes cast used the vouching process.”
The office also said “vouching is only used to provide proof of a potential voter’s residence in the precinct. The potential voter must still provide their Minnesota driver’s license or ID card number, or the last four digits of their social security number, for identity verification.”
Additionally, the Minnesota secretary of state noted that vouchers sign oaths “under penalty of perjury,” and information obtained during the vouching process is submitted to the statewide database where it is checked for discrepancies.
“If a discrepancy is found during this process, it must be referred to local law enforcement for investigation and possible prosecution,” added the office.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
