While AI may "amplify existing threats like disinformation," he argued that it posed less of a danger to election security overall. He went on to say that Minnesota is much ahead of the curve when it comes to criminal sanctions for spreading deepfake pictures of someone without their knowledge within 90 days of an election, if the goal is to influence the election. This was passed last year by legislators in the state.
Bill Ekblad, who heads up election security for the secretary, and Simon held a tabletop exercise last week with fifty county election teams to practice responding to potential security threats. He said that as far as anyone knows, no foreign powers attempted to hack Minnesota's voting systems in 2020
But in 2016, 21 states were specifically targeted. When asked whether country was "rattling doorknobs" without actually entering, Ekblad said Russia.
According to Simon, while local election managers in Minnesota have been the target of harassment, threats, and intimidation on occasion, the state's thirty thousand volunteer judges have remained virtually completely untargeted. A new statute, he said, makes the punishments for these kinds of crimes much harsher.
American Samoa Those who have turned 18 can cast ballots in the presidential primary, while preregistration for voters aged 16 and 17 became available in June. Another new law allows this as well for convicted criminals who have served their time in jail.
This is the second presidential primary that Minnesota has had in the last few decades. Voters in Minnesota will need to select between the Republican, Democratic, or Legal Marijuana Now primaries, even though party registration is not yet in place in the state.
According to Simon, it's more discreet than in 2020, when all parties could see who voted for which side, even though their identities will still be disclosed to the party they pick. No one can access the data at this time.
Simon expressed his cautious optimism. "I believe that the vast majority of Minnesota's polling locations are havens of tranquility, where citizens can cast their ballots without disturbance and with a clear conscience."