Decades of Minnesota Election Officials Debunk Voter Fraud Myths and Affirm Ballot Integrity

In an era drowning in election misinformation, a group of seasoned Minnesota election officials are stepping forward to set the record straight. Joe Mansky, a former state election director, alongside a bipartisan team of veteran election administrators, draws on decades of overseeing tens of millions of votes to affirm that Minnesota’s elections are safe, secure, and transparent.

They highlight the state’s robust safeguards designed to keep ineligible voters off the rolls and ensure every legal ballot is counted with near-perfect accuracy. Minnesota’s system cross-references driver’s licenses, Social Security data, and public health records to weed out duplicates, deceased voters, and felons. Voter inactivity triggers record inactivation, and returned mail flags outdated registrations.

The penalties for voter fraud in Minnesota are severe — up to five years in prison and $10,000 fines — and the data shows these laws work. A Heritage Foundation study found only 138 fraud convictions out of more than 32 million votes cast over 18 years. University of St. Thomas research identified just three noncitizen voting convictions out of 13.4 million ballots. These minuscule numbers are often clerical errors, not coordinated fraud attempts.

Minnesota pioneered election security decades ago by requiring hand-marked paper ballots, now used 100% statewide. This “gold standard” allows for transparent, verifiable audits after every general election. Close races trigger full hand recounts, which have confirmed accuracy rates of 99.98% in high-profile contests — far surpassing older, manual methods.

Crucially, Minnesota elections rely on local, bipartisan teams of election judges who count ballots and assist voters, ensuring no one acts alone or in secret. Over 3,000 polling places staffed by neighbors provide community oversight that social media conspiracy theorists ignore.

Mansky and his colleagues urge voters to reject the baseless fraud panic and trust the proven systems protecting their ballots. “We have done our part to build a fortress of integrity around your ballot. Now, we ask the voters to do theirs,” they write.

In a moment when democracy faces relentless attacks from election denialism, these election veterans offer a clear, evidence-based defense of Minnesota’s electoral process. Their decades of experience and transparent procedures stand as a bulwark against the corrosive lies undermining trust in our elections.