Overview
- A registered voter can accompany and vouch for up to eight people registering on Election Day by signing an oath attesting to their address.
- People who are vouched for must still show identity documents, such as a Minnesota driver’s license or permit, a receipt for one, or a qualifying tribal ID, with other IDs accepted for identity when residence is vouched.
- Criticism has intensified following a large federal welfare and day-care fraud probe, with Elon Musk calling the policy “Made for fraud” and activists warning of abuse.
- Secretary of State Steve Simon says vouching is mainly a residency check, is logged, was used in roughly 0.6–0.7% of cases in the last election, and often involves already-registered voters in transitions like assisted living.
- Opponents cite Minnesota’s 2023 law allowing driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status and push the SAVE Act to require proof of citizenship for federal elections, which passed the House and is stalled in the Senate.