>> CATHY: HAVE WE MENTIONED RECENTLY THAT THE 2023 LEGISLATURE WAS SO BUSY, IT WAS HARD TO KEEP UP?

DID YOU HAVE TROUBLE FOLLOWING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED?

WE'RE HERE TO HELP.

SPENDING TIME THIS SUMMER HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE NEW LAWS ON THE BOOKS UP THIS WEEK, CHANGES TO VOTING IN MINNESOTA, SECRETARY OF STATE STEVE SIMON JOINS US.

WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> Cathy: LET'S START WITH THE RESTORING OF VOTING RIGHTS TO FELONS HO SERVED THEIR TIME.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO FOLKS WHY THAT'S MPORTANT?

>> YEAH.

BY THE WAY, IT'S A HUGE CHANGE AMONG MAN OTHERS, 55,000 MINNESOTANS ELIGIBLE.

MANY OTHERS.

I THINK WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS THIS, WE'RE JOINING A NATIONAL TREND, NORTH DAKOTA, IOWA IS MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION, FLORIDA, OTHER STATES LIKE THAT.

I THINK THE IDEA IS, LOOK, IF A JUDGE OR JURY, NOT YOU OR ME, NOT YOUR VIEWING AUDIENCE BUT A JUDGE OR A JURY THAT THEY DETERMINE THAT A PERSON IS GOOD ENOUGH, SOUND ENOUGH, SECURE ENOUGH, SAFE ENOUGH TO BE OUT AMONGST THE REST OF US, THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE SOME SENSE OF INVESTMENT, SENSE OF OWNERSHIP IN SOCIETY.

AND THIS IS ONE WAY TO DO IT.

AND THERE ARE MANY STUDIES THAT SHOW THAT PEOPLE WHO ENGAGE IN THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR ARE FAR LESS LIKELY TO REOFFEND.

SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT DOING A GOOD THING FOR THAT PERSON.

THIS IS TO EVERYONE'S BENEFIT, ALL OF OUR BENEFIT.

>> Cathy: HOW MANY FOLKS HAVE SIGNED UP SO FAR?

I KNOW, YOU JUST STARTED SIGNING FOLKS UP.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: HOW MANY?

>> REALLY HARD TO KNOW.

THERE ARE 55,000 TOTAL.

AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AS ARE A OT OF GROUPS AROUND THE STATE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE HAT THEY AT LEAST GET THE WORD THAT THIS IS A THING, THAT THEY HAVE NOW GOTTEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE BACK, HOPEFULLY ACTED ARE ACT ON THEM.

NO ONE CAN MAKE THEM.

HOPEFULLY -- MAKING SURE THE 55,000 MINNESOTANS WHO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT GET IT BACK.

>> Eric: 16 AND 17-YEAR-OLDS CAN PREREGISTER.

WHAT'S THE GOAL THERE?

>> THE GOAL IS TO GET AS MANY ELIGIBLE BUT UNREGISTERED PEOPLE ON TO THE VOTING ROLLS.

AND THAT'S A WIN-WIN.

IT'S OBVIOUSLY GOOD FOR ACCESS, BUT IT'S ALSO GOOD FOR BALLOT SECURITY, IT'S GOOD FOR MAKING SURE WE HAVE A SECURE VOTING SYSTEM, THAT THE VOTING ROLLS ARE EVEN MORE CLEAN THAN THEY ARE NOW.

WHY?

BECAUSE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO REGISTER SAME DAY, A LAW THAT WE'VE HAD ON THE BOOKS SINCE 1937, WHERE YOU CAN REGISTER THE DAY OF THE ELECTION, INSTEAD OF DOING THAT, HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL ALREADY BE IN THE SYSTEM.

THEY'LL HAVE BEEN VETTED AND SCREENED AND FILTERED WEEKS BUT MORE LIKELY MONTHS IN ADVANCE.

THAT'S GOOD FOR EVERYBODY.

>> Cathy: CAN YOU OPT OUT, THOUGH?

>> YOU CAN ALWAYS OPT OUT.

YES.

ALWAYS.

>> Eric: DID THE LEGISLATURE GET ANY MONEY TO WORK ON ELECTION SECURITY, NOT ONLY AT THE POLLING PLACE BUT AT EARLY VOTING STATIONS OR IS THAT A LOCAL PROBLEM FOR ENFORCING THAT?

>> I THINK IT'S BOTH.

THERE IS SOME MONEY IN TERMS OF GRANTS FOR ACCESSIBILITY TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

WE'LL BE ADMINISTERING THOSE THROUGH OUR OFFICE.

WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO STEP UP, AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST, WHEN IT COMES TO ELECTION SECURITY OF ALL KINDS, NOT JUST PHYSICAL BUT CYBERSECURITY AS WELL.

SO THAT'S A PRESSING NEED.

WE'RE GOING TO KEEP PRESSING FOR IT.

>> Eric: YOU DID TEST A NEW VOTING SYSTEM, WAS IT LAST WEEK?

>> YEAH.

>> Eric: I THINK IT'S PUBLIC, ISN'T IT?

>> IT IS.

>> Eric: DID ANY OF THE ELECTION DENIERS SHOW UP TO MONITOR?

>> NOBODY SHOWED UP.

I'M GLAD YOU FLAGGED THAT BECAUSE TO THOSE WHO ARE SKEPTICAL, WHO HAVE BOUGHT INTO SOME OF HE, FRANKLY, $INFORMATION -- DISINFORMATION ABOUT ELECTION EQUIPMENT, SWITCHING VOTES FROM CANDIDATE A TO CANDIDATE B, WE HAVE THIS PROCESS THAT YOU TALK ABOUT IN LAW, WHICH IS WHEN WE'RE TESTING NEW EQUIPMENT, THAT IS OPEN TO ALL COMERS, YOU DON'T NEED AN ENGRAVED INVITATION, IT'S A PUBLICLY NOTICED MEETING, ONCE WE'VE CERTIFIED EQUIPMENT, EVERYBODY IN MINNESOTA WHO OWNS ELECTIONS EQUIPMENT, TOWNSHIPS, CITIES, COUNTIES, THEY HAVE TO, WITHIN TWO WEEKS BEFORE EVERY ELECTION, SPECIAL GENERAL, IT DOESN'T MATTER, OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC VIEW AGAIN.

WHERE THEY AN WATCH ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATORS TRY TO BASICALLY TRICK THE EQUIPMENT AND SEE IF THEY CAN STUMP THE EQUIPMENT.

THEN AND ONLY THEN IS IT READY FOR PRIME TIME, READY FOR ELECTION DAY.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE THOUGHT OF THESE THINGS.

AFTERWARDS, THERE'S POST-ELECTION AUDITS AS WELL.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SO MUCH THAT HAPPENED DURING THE SESSION, AS YOU SAY, THERE'S A LOT OF VOTING CHANGES THAT OCCURRED.

BUT IT'S BEEN RADITIONAL TO HAVE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

AND THAT DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN THIS SESSION.

DOES THAT CONCERN YOU?

>> WELL, I ALWAYS WISH THAT THERE'S AS MUCH CONSENSUS AS POSSIBLE, BUT I WILL SAY THAT EVERY ONE OF THE MAJOR REFORMS THAT PASSED THIS YEAR, EVERY SINGLE ONE, IS BIPARTISAN OR NONPARTISAN IN ORIGIN AND IN EFFECT, IN FACT, ONE QUICK ANECDOTE.

I REACHED OUT TO MY CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUE IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, WE DISAGREE ON A LOT OF THINGS, BUT HE, AT MY INVITATION, WROTE A LETTER TO STATE LEGISLATORS, ABOUT ONE REFORM, REREGISTRATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, YOUR SECRETARY OF STATE AND I DON'T AGREE ON THIS -- ON MUCH, BUT WE AGREE ON THIS, WE LOVE THIS LAW, YOU'LL DO WELL TO ADOPT IT.

>> Eric: WE'LL BE WATCHING TO SEE.

FOR CITY ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER, THIS WILL BE IN LAW?

>> YES.

>> Eric: DOES IT WAIT UNTIL '24?

>> ALMOST ALL OF IT IS IN PLACE RIGHT NOW.