Senator Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake), chair of the State Government Finance and Elections Committee, introduced a bill to protect the privacy of Minnesotans who choose to participate in the presidential nomination primary process. 

In 2016, Senator Ann Rest (D-New Hope) championed a bill that converted Minnesota from a caucus system to a primary system but included no protections for voter data. The change had support from every member of the DFL Senate Majority, DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon, and DFL Governor Dayton. Under the original law, voter information could be shared publicly without limitation. Since then, Senate Republicans have worked to secure voter information left vulnerable by Senator Rest’s legislation. 

“Having finally recognized their mistake in 2016, Democrats keep shifting the goalposts as they attempt to duck responsibility and spin the issue back on us,” Kiffmeyer said. “We are not going to allow a data privacy issue to become a partisan issue. Under my bill, Minnesotans who choose to participate in the presidential nominating process can know that their political affiliations will not be revealed to the public. I am cleaning up this mess so every Minnesotan can exercise their right to vote without consequence.”

Senator Kiffmeyer’s bill applies Chapter 13 protections to the presidential primary data to reinforce data security. Chapter 13 secures some of the most private information in the state of Minnesota including social security data, law enforcement data, and other sensitive information. 

Specifically, the bill places presidential primary voter data under the protection of Chapter 13.02, Subdivision 12, which reads: “Private data on individuals” are data made by statute or federal law applicable to the data: (a) not public; and (b) accessible to the individual subject of those data. Adding Chapter 13 protections also includes punishment if someone were to make the presidential primary data public. Chapter 13.08 and Chapter 13.09 make public dissemination of the data, in this case, the presidential ballot preference, a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of $1,000 to $15,000 if willfully violated. 

Senator Kiffmeyer added, “My new bill will protect data collected from presidential primaries. Minnesotans can count on us to protect their political preferences with the full force of the legislature.”