Press Release

No matter who is chosen, Republicans will wind up endorsing a conspiracy theorist trying to restrict our freedom to vote

This weekend, regardless of who is selected, Republicans will endorse a candidate for Secretary of State that wants to restrict our freedom to vote and has actively undermined faith in our democracy by spreading conspiracy theories about our elections.

Kim Crockett 

• Crockett wants to restrict early voting, restrict same-day voter registration, and reject ballots postmarked on election day. Crockett currently serves as a legal policy advisor for the Minnesota Voters Alliance, a far-right group that works to restrict Minnesotans’ freedom to vote. 
• Crockett has repeatedly attacked the legitimacy of the 2020 elections and has been caught campaigning at election conspiracy conferences. 
• In 2019, Crockett was suspended from her job for making racist comments. Crockett apologized at the time, but recently revoked that apology, saying “I would say everything today that I said in 2019.”

Kelly Jahner-Byrne 

• Jahner-Byrne would limit Minnesotans’ freedom to vote by pushing for provisional ballots – which could lead to the ballots of eligible voters not being counted. Jahner-Byrne is also pushing for voter ID, which Minnesotans have already rejected because it disproportionately disenfranchises voters of color.
• Jahner-Byrne is also a conspiracy theorist who has claimed that “we all agree that there’s some shady going on” with regard to Minnesota’s elections and has called for audits of Minnesota’s elections. Jahner-Byrne has echoed Mike Lindell’s unhinged voting machine conspiracy theories when she called for a forensic audit of Minnesota’s voting machines. 
• Jahner-Byrne has repeatedly spread debunked, anti-vaccine propaganda.

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“It is no accident that Minnesota regularly sets records for the highest voter turnout in the nation. We proudly hold that honor because of the fantastic work of people like Secretary of State Steve Simon, who has worked tirelessly to champion our freedom to vote and who oversees fair, accessible, and secure elections.

“Unfortunately, the extremist Republican Secretary of State candidates are pushing for voting restrictions that will guarantee fewer eligible voters can cast ballots. Worse still, these candidates are citing debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections to justify their attempt at voter suppression. 

“The last thing Minnesotans need is another Republican official using conspiracy theories that undermine democracy to suppress the vote.”