Minnesota’s Chief Elections Officer: Why the Secretary of State matters so much for Democracy (and Climate too)
Illustration by Andres Guzman
This essay is part of a larger series about how our elected officials help us defend our futures by leading on equitable climate solutions and building multiracial democracy.
What comes to mind when you think of Minnesota’s secretary of state? If you think about voting and elections, you’ve got it. If you think foreigh policy, you’re thinking of our national secretary of state, an important job, but not our focus here.
Here we’re talking about how the Minnesota offices on your ballot this year are essential for defending our futures by helping us build a multiracial democracy and equitable climate solutions. Check out the other essays in the series.
Minnesota’s secretary of state is essentially our chief elections officer. They are tasked with the job of overseeing elections statewide and managing Minnesota’s voter registration system. Lesser known is the fact that the secretary of state is where you go to register a business or apply to be appointed to a state board or commission. All of this is important for our democracy – especially well-run elections and access to voting – and climate action gets woven into their work a bit as well.
Running and building trust in free and fair elections
The elections work of our secretary of state is foundational to our democracy. The work we need to do to build our multiracial democracy goes well beyond elections and voting, and at the same time voting and elections are essential. The secretary of state helps us steward and build our multiracial democracy in two huge ways – they work with local election administrators to ensure voting runs well and they make sure Minnesotans, all Minnesotans, have access to the ballot if they are eligible.
While the secretary of state is Minnesota’s chief elections officer, they do not actually run elections on the ground. Instead, they work with county auditors and other local government officials who do. These local elections administration officials are guardians of democracy, and it is our secretary of state’s job to make sure they have support, training, and tools to do their jobs well. A big part of running elections well is effective administration, making sure that voting machines are running and secure – certifying this is the secretary of state’s job – and that votes are counted right.
To be effective, a good election must be free and fair and we must trust that it’s free and fair. The secretary of state is essential to both of these things. To be a defender of democracy, our secretary of state needs to credibly and consistently communicate the facts about our elections. This part of the job almost seems so basic it isn’t worth noting. But given the fact that extremist politicians across the country are still denying President Biden won the 2020 election, we need to be explicit that election denial and promoting the Big Lie are not acceptable for our secretary of state (or for those in any elected office, really).
Another big job of the secretary of state is maintaining our state’s voter registration. This is a near-sacred part of democracy. We need a voting system in which we trust that the people voting are eligible and that eligible voters aren’t kept from voting.
Let’s talk a little more about voting access and who actually gets to vote. One of the amazing things about our country is that we have a long (and long-delayed) history of both expanding the vote over time and proactively eliminating barriers to participation. After decades of campaigning and over the objections of some factions of Americans, the franchise was expanded to include Black and Indigenous people and women. New Americans are eligible when they become U.S. citizens and, in Minnesota, voting rights are restored to those who have served time in prison and are off paper.
Likewise, Americans have worked tirelessly to knock down restrictions on voting – things like poll taxes, literacy tests, and overly cumbersome administrative requirements. Minnesota proudly joined these efforts in voting down a voter suppression constitutional amendment in 2012.
On the other hand, our secretary of state can proactively make voting more accessible to people who don’t speak English as a first language or at all. For example, our secretary of state is not required to, but can choose to recruit bilingual election judges and translate voting materials. Current Secretary of State Steve Simon has made this work part of his leadership in the office, contributing to a proud tradition of helping eligible voters who speak languages other than English. According to MinnPost, Minnesota first printed voting materials in languages other than English in 1896 when materials were printed in German, Finnish, Polish, Bohemian, French, and Swedish.
Minnesota’s secretary of state also helps build our multiracial democracy by being a champion for getting every eligible voter out to vote. Minnesotans should be rightly proud of our state consistently ranking at the top of voter turnout in the country. We can continue our record of success by voting for a secretary of state who will continue to champion policies that help with turnout – things like early voting and same-day voter registration.
Businesses, boards, commissions, oh my!
Our secretary of state has additional important functions. Two are particularly relevant to building equitable climate solutions – managing business filings and running the appointment process for state boards and commissions.
Managing business filings involves the secretary of state reviewing, approving, and filing articles of incorporation for businesses and nonprofits in Minnesota. Anyone wanting to start or run a business in the state – whether for-profit or non-profit – needs to apply with the secretary of state’s office. Our clean energy transition means new jobs and new businesses. That means, we need a secretary of state who makes opening a business as straightforward as possible.
The secretary of state also runs the application process for state boards and commissions. Depending on the commission or board, different authorities (like the governor or a legislative body) decide who is appointed. But the secretary of state manages the actual application process. Minnesotans looking to lead on climate solutions can find a number of state boards and commissions where they can contribute, including the Environmental Quality Board, Board of Water and Soil Resources, the Public Utilities Commission, and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change.
Wrapping up
If we care about the future of our elections as a foundational part of our democracy, we need to pay attention to the secretary of state. We need to elect someone who will champion voting rights and voting access while building trust in elections. If you’re interested in starting a climate business or offering leadership on a state board or commission, head on over to the secretary of state’s website.
And, of course, make sure you exercise the most basic and important right in our democracy. Vote! Bring your friends along to vote, too. Learn more about secretary of state candidates here.
