Minnesota Secretary of State visits Albert Lea to talk local business, voting integrity

(ABC 6 News) – It’s what every voter wants from their elected official; sit and visit with them so they can know how to better serve them in office.

People in Albert Lea got that on Wednesday as Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon visited everyone he could in town, from voters to small business owners and even high school students.

From the concerns of the local business market to the future of the 2024 election and its integrity. The people of albert lea met with steve simon today to let their voices be heard about what they’re concered about going into 2024.

Steve Simon is on a mission to hear and speak to every Minnesotan he can. He says it’s the most important part of his job and not getting around the state would be a disservice to his office.

“I really like to hear what’s going on in a particular community because people will ask. They’ll say to me, hey, I heard you were on the road in albert lea, what are people saying?’ and I want to be able and I want to be able to respond in a way that is honest and true. And that’s really important for this job.

Colin Minehart owns MineAgain’s bar and grill in albert lea. He says his struggles are not unique to his small business.

“We all in businesses are struggling, not just in the restaurant business. Trying to fulfill employment quotas, trying to meet our sales obligations and just pay our bills. It’s a struggle.”

Some people had concerns about the new election law that enrolls any Minnesotan with a driver’s license as a registered voter. They worry non-U.S. Citizens with a license will be allowed to vote at the polls. Simon said the new law will help keep that from.

“Going back decades we have hundreds of thousands of people in the polling place. If that is a concern to anyone in this room, I can tell you that number is going to go down 80 or 90 percent. That’s our actual estimate,” said Simon.

Minehart says he’s confident in the election process as he, himself, has run for political office himself.

“I myself went through a recount because I lost an election by three votes once. It was an absolute perfect election and perfect recount so I have 100 percent confidence in it,” said Minehart.

And Simon is happy to hear these concerns from all corners of Minnesota to makes sure the 2024 election is drama free.

Simon will be continuing his 87 county tour throughout the state of Minnesota in the coming weeks as he has only visited 10 so far.