Top Republican leaders want the state’s legislative auditor to examine a move from Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to allow online voter registration in Minnesota. In a letter sent to Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles‘ office on Monday, GOP minority leaders Kurt Daudt and David Hann, along with Republican election committee leads Rep. Tim Sanders and Sen. Scott Newman, said Ritchie “unilaterally” started the program without vetting the proposal in committee hearings. The program allows new voters to register online or returning voters to update their information.
Ritchie’s office announced the program last month and officially launched online registration on Sept. 26. In the first week of the program, more than 50 new voters registered and more than 300 people updated their registration online.
“We are extremely concerned that Secretary Ritchie has decided to use dubious authority to make this change,” reads the letter. “Minnesota has a rich history of requiring broad bipartisan support for any changes to election policy, and that history should be respected.”
Full Article: GOP leaders call for probe of new online voter registration tool | Politics in Minnesota.