An in-depth review of Minnesota’s elections
By: Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer

More than a month has passed since the 2020 election, and since that time I have heard from many of you regarding concerns over the security of our elections. Many of them are troubling.

On December 8, I chaired a remote meeting of the Senate State Government and Elections Committee to review the administration and security of our elections, and to determine areas where we can improve. The meeting was motivated by a letter I wrote to Secretary of State Steve Simon last month asking for information and documentation about our elections.

To be clear: so far, claims of widespread fraud have not held up under scrutiny or in the courts. That’s a good thing — the reliability and integrity of our elections are crucial to the health of our republic.

But there have been issues, and the only way to fix them is by asking questions. I reject the idea that asking reasonable questions is in itself a sinister act. It is my priority and responsibility as a legislator to look into every detail of our election process so all Minnesotans can know how this election was conducted, and so we can make security and accountability improvements wherever we can.

I want to restore Minnesotan’s faith in our election processes. I encourage everyone that is interested to watch the full hearing on the Senate Media YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/user/MnSenateMedia.

Senate Finance Committee reviews the state budget

This week the Senate Finance Committee, of which I am a member, met to review the latest budget forecast. The state’s economics leaders — the management and budget chief, the budget director, and the state economist — all went through the budget forecast in significant detail.

One thing that stood out: future revenue growth is projected to outpace future spending growth, 3.6% to 2.4%. If that trajectory continues, it bodes well for the health of our state budget.

I asked the testifiers if the forecast had factored in the distribution of a Covid vaccine. They told me their forecast assumes a vaccine will be widely available by the middle of next year. If the vaccine is available to the general public faster, it’s likely economic growth will be even stronger than they predict. If the vaccine is later than anticipated, economic growth will likely be slower than expected.

I also asked if the final approval of the new Line 3 Pipeline was factored into this forecast but they told us that approval came too late. That project will be a major driver of jobs and economic growth, particularly for northern Minnesota.

As I said last week, the best way for the state to get out of these tough economic times is for government to tighten its belt and focus on economic growth, not tax increases. If we can do those two things then I am confident we will be able to close our budget shortfall while still maintaining critical services and keeping our promise to our vulnerable neighbors.As always, feel free to contact me with your thoughts and concerns at any time. You can call me at 651-296-5655 or send me an email at sen.mary.kiffmeyer@senate.mn.