Apr 20, 2022 - Politics

Minnesota Secretary of State candidate falsely claims office "counts the votes"

Torey Van Oot

Illustration of binoculars with “I Voted Today” stickers in the lenses. — Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

A leading GOP candidate for Minnesota Secretary of State is fundraising off of false claims about the role the office plays in elections.

What she's saying: In an email carrying the subject line "Don't let Socialist money count the votes," Republican Kim Crockett urged supporters to pitch in to her bid against DFL incumbent Steve Simon to help "[restore] the security of our elections."

"Why do we need help? Because the SoS office COUNTS the votes," the email reads.

Reality check: The Minnesota Secretary of State's Office does not "count" ballots or tabulate the results.

That process happens at the county level. Local election officials then report the results to the Secretary of State for publication and eventual certification.

Why it matters: False claims about election integrity threaten to further undermine trust in democracy.

Republicans' confidence in elections has plummeted since 2020, an Axios-Ipsos poll has found.

The response: Crockett's campaign didn't respond to an email and phone call seeking comment on the email.

The bottom line: Crockett's pitch comes as campaigns across the country gear up for hotly contested battles over election administrator posts. Record cash is flowing into these races.

Recent campaign filings show Simon maintaining a roughly $500,000 cash advantage over Crockett and another GOP candidate.

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Minnesota Secretary of State candidate falsely claims office "counts the votes"

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