Behind the Ballot: Battle for Minnesota Secretary of State

What began as a sleepy race for Minnesota Secretary of State has heated up in its final days.

Election security

Republican candidate and former district judge Tad Jude tells WCCO that election security is a top issue.

"I'm a strong believer in our court process, I'm a strong believer in elections. But, we have to take every safeguard, like having a photo ID to go vote," Jude said. "I would work with the federal government, as well as cities, counties, school districts, to clean up our voting rolls."

Incumbent Democrat Steve Simon, who has been in office since 2015, recently refused to hand over voter rolls despite a demand from the Department of Justice. Simon says it's unlawful to relinquish private, personal information, including social security numbers and driver's license information.

"The federal government sued us and 33 other states who said no -- including, by the way, red states, blue states -- and they are now 0-25, zero and 25 in terms of those lawsuits," Simon told WCCO.

He is open to identification rules that don't unintentionally disenfranchise people. To him, it's a balance and blend of access and security. Anyone, Simon says, can get access to a Minnesota "voter file" for $46, which includes name, address, year of birth and voting history.

Minnesota voters said no to a ballot initiative in 2012 that would have changed the constitution to require a photo or government ID to vote.

The president & election integrity

Meanwhile, President Trump insists he's won Minnesota three times. Now, he's insinuating there were shenanigans going on should Michelle Tafoya lose the Senate race.

"It's really unfortunate, potentially poisonous and more of the same," Simon said.

When asked what he would do should Trump dispute election results, Jude had this to say: "First of all, that's a hypothetical, but secondly, I go by certified votes, I go by court decision."

The viral ad

Jude went viral for a campaign ad evoking eras past shared Oct. 20. It quickly racked up more than 2 million views across social media platforms. Unlike the majority of political ads, it contains no attacks on opponents, just a nostalgic script and serene scenes.

Some described it as having a similar energy to Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" ads from 1984; others were more critical and thought it was pushing an antiquated idea of Minnesota's identity.

"There were some beautiful shots in it, but my impression was it was really backward-looking. It was calling back to a time that he and maybe others wish existed," Simon reacted. "And I think elections are about the future, so you've got to talk about what tomorrow and next month and next year is gonna be all about."

Jude told WCCO, "I think the video does capture the strengths and the beauty of our state that we need to get back to."

Beyond elections, the Secretary of State's office oversees business and nonprofit filings and the Safe at Home program, which aids victims of domestic violence, stalking and similar crimes in remaining anonymous. The office is also the keeper of the state seal.