On Thursday, April 9, State Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) introduced the SAVE Minnesota Act (Senate File 5050), legislation that would require voter identification and confirmed voter registration, mirroring the federal SAVE America Act. It follows a letter signed by Westrom with 73 Republican state senators and representatives urging President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to support the measure’s passage at the federal level.

The legislation would require voter ID for elections and proof of citizenship for individuals not already registered to vote, including individuals registering on Election Day. Notably, it would establish provisional ballots for same-day registrants. Minnesota is one of only two states, along with Idaho, that does not currently use provisional ballots under its election system. The bill also ensures that Minnesotans who need documentation to obtain an ID can access it at no cost, including birth records and other necessary vital documents.

“Minnesotans want immediate action on the SAVE America Act to protect our federal elections, and they also want those same protections extended to our state elections,” said Westrom. “The SAVE Minnesota Act is a critical measure to help protect against election fraud and ensure that only citizens are casting votes in our elections."

Westrom said the intent behind the SAVE Minnesota Act is to address concerns about election integrity in Minnesota. Documented cases of election-related misconduct in Minnesota include fraudulent voter registration applications using false identities, attempted absentee ballot fraud, and instances of ineligible voting resulting in criminal charges and guilty pleas.

“The SAVE Minnesota Act is about ensuring that every vote cast is legitimate. Minnesotans deserve secure, transparent elections they can trust,” Westrom said. “The goal is simple: it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat.”

Those cases include Minneapolis resident Abdihakim Amin Essa, a permanent resident who is not a U.S. citizen, who pleaded guilty to four felony voter fraud counts after admitting to falsifying 13 absentee ballot applications during the 2020 primary election. In a separate case stemming from the same election, a campaign volunteer and relative of Minneapolis DFL Sen. Omar Fateh was sentenced in 2022 to six months of house arrest and two years of probation after lying to a grand jury in a ballot fraud investigation.

Additionally, in 2025, a Nevada resident pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to commit voter registration fraud that included submitting fraudulent voter registration applications in Minnesota using fictitious identities as part of a broader multi-state scheme. In a separate development in March 2026, federal investigators issued a grand jury subpoena to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office seeking voter records as part of a probe into possible non-citizen voting.