It has been a busy week and I was happy to meet several constituents visiting the Capitol. I hope you enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend and don’t forget to set your clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time. Taking us close to ending Daylight Savings Time remains one of my goals for this session because the practice of flipping our clocks back and forth is hard on our bodies and overall health.

Presidential Primary Data

This week I presented a bill that will reinforce the security of presidential primary election data. I am confident we are on the right path to protecting voter information so Minnesotans can freely exercise their right to participate in the democratic process. We will come to an agreement and prioritize the security of personal data, not political interests.

After Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office was reported by voters of being directed to partisan websites when searching for their polling location, the press requested my comments. This was unacceptable. How did the staffer gain access to do this? Where did they get this list of sites? And why, having received an increase of funding each year to fully fund their needs, does the Secretary need to rely on third parties when this system has worked fine for much bigger recent elections? The Secretary of State is responsible for his office and accountable to the public. His statement is not enough. We need answers from him to these questions, and maybe more questions, as we learn what happened and I hope he will come forward to answer them. You can watch the full press conference here.

Second Amendment Dedicated County

After receiving a letter and sample resolution from Wright County legislators this week, I was glad to see the Wright County Board of Commissioners unanimously pass a resolution designating Wright County as a Second Amendment Dedicated County! I heard from several constituents during Gun Owners Caucus Day who were pleased to see this resolution adopted and I believe it is important to  continue standing strong for the Second Amendment. A link to the resolution can be found here.

Constituents attending Gun Owners Caucus Lobby Day on Wednesday.

As always, please feel free to contact me any time. You can call me at 651-296-5655 or send me an email: sen.mary.kiffmeyer@senate.mn.

I hope you have a great weekend!