House panel moves to free up federal funds for securing state’s voting system

Minnesota’s top elections official told House lawmakers on Wednesday he expects more bad actors to target the state’s voting systems in coming years.

Russian hackers targeted the election systems of 21 states before the 2016 election — including Minnesota. Secretary of State Steve Simon told the House Subcommittee on Elections  that those hackers were unsuccessful in their attempts to access Minnesota’s central voter registration database.

But, Simon warned, federal officials have said “to expect more of this from more sources.”

The subcommittee approved a pair of similar bills that would free up existing state funds needed to obtain federal monies to strengthen the security of Minnesota's central statewide voter registration system.

HF14, sponsored by Rep. Michael Nelson (DFL-Brooklyn Park), and HF17, sponsored by Rep. Tim O'Driscoll (R-Sartell), would both appropriate state funds needed to meet a state match requirement to access $6.6 million in federal Help America Vote Act grant funds.

The bills, referred to the House Government Operations Committee, would also authorize the secretary of state to access and spend those funds on efforts to modernize, secure and update Minnesota’s Statewide Voter Registration System.

Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake), sponsors SF93, a companion to HF14 that awaits action by the Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee. O’Driscoll’s bill has no Senate companion.

The system, built in 2004, “is showing its age,” Simon said.

“What we’re most concerned about is not so much the polling place,” he told lawmakers, but rather efforts by outside actors to access and sabotage the centralized voter information database.