During this year’s Primary Election, far-right extremist Kim Crockett won the GOP nomination for Minnesota Secretary of State. That news should alarm anyone in our state who values secure, fair, and accessible elections. 

Here’s why…

What does our Secretary of State do? 

State-level Secretaries of State perform different duties than the federal Secretary of State, who advises the President on foreign policy issues.

Here in Minnesota, the primary role of the Secretary of State is to oversee elections and administer election laws. That means it’s their job to get Minnesotans to the polls and ensure that every ballot is counted correctly. 

Minnesota’s current Secretary of State, progressive Steve Simon, champions fair and accessible elections.

Steve Simon: keeping Minnesota the best in elections

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon advocated for early voting and vote-by-mail programs to keep Minnesotans safe. He supports same-day voter registration and early absentee voting, which have helped Minnesota earn the top spot in voter turnout year after year.

In stark contrast to Secretary of State Steve Simon’s successes, Kim Crockett’s agenda would make it harder for Minnesotans to vote. 

Kim Crockett’s dangerous, hateful record

Before running for Secretary of State, Kim Crockett held a top position at The Center for the American Experiment, an extremist conservative think tank. In that role, she pushed for a lawsuit to challenge Minnesota’s refugee resettlement program. She made national headlines for fanning the flames of bigotry in St. Cloud and making racist comments about Minnesota’s immigrant and refugee communities.

After the 2020 election, Crockett pushed baseless conspiracy theories that contributed to the January 6 insurrection and spread reckless lies about the 2020 election.  

Now, on the campaign trail, Crockett continues to spew hate and bigotry. For example, she relied on cheap, anti-Semitic tropes to attack Secretary of State Steve Simon, who is Jewish. Crockett even suggested that non-English speakers and Minnesotans with disabilities should be barred from the polls. 

Stand up for fair, safe elections

Here in Minnesota, we’re really good at turning out for Election Day. We’re also really good at looking out for each other. That’s why we can’t let Kim Crockett push her dangerous agenda on our elections. It’s just not who we are. 

Instead, let’s stand up in support of the safe, secure, accessible elections that Secretary of State Steve Simon works to maintain. Sign our open letter to Secretary of State Steve Simon to say thanks. 

Together, we’ll fight back against bigotry and keep Minnesota #1 in voting.