Ramsey County Urged to Set Clear Rules for Federal Presence at Polls
St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker is asking Ramsey County to publicly set a protocol for federal personnel at or near polling places and to commit to prosecuting threats against voters and election workers before the Nov. 3 election. She cites a Sept. 30 federal indictment of 10 noncitizens on voting charges and Justice Department monitoring during the August primary. County officials say election judges are trained to enforce state law barring federal personnel without local consent, the County Attorney’s Office says it is preparing for intimidation and disinformation, and Attorney General Keith Ellison says he will enforce voter protection laws if needed.
St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker is pressing Ramsey County to set clear rules for protecting voters and election workers before the Nov. 3 general election, as federal authorities step up their focus on alleged voting violations in Minnesota.
“Ramsey County should not wait until federal activity is underway at our polling places to decide how it will protect eligible voters and election workers,” Noecker said in written responses to the MSR.
Noecker has called on the county to publicly communicate a protocol for federal personnel at or near polling places, and for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office to commit to investigating and prosecuting threats, harassment or intimidation of voters and election workers.
She pointed to a Sept. 30 announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota that a federal grand jury had indicted 10 noncitizens on charges of illegally voting or falsely claiming citizenship to vote in elections dating to 2022. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Noecker also cited the Justice Department’s election monitoring in Ramsey County during the August primary. During the Aug. 11 primary, Justice Department monitors talked with voters outside polling places, with lawyers from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office present at each location to make sure the monitors followed federal law, said Cassondra Knudson, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Steve Simon. There were no issues, she said.
Ramsey County was the first jurisdiction in Minnesota this year to refuse to allow federal monitors into its polling places, according to county officials. The county has not received a request for the Nov. 3 election but will continue to allow only individuals authorized by Minnesota law inside, said Casper Hill, a county spokesperson.
County Board Chair Rafael E. Ortega said in a written statement that county policies, protocols and board resolutions “establish a clear separation between the work of the county and federal immigration enforcement.”
Asked whether the county has a protocol for federal personnel at polling places, Hill said election judges are trained to enforce a state law that does not allow federal personnel inside without local consent. Unauthorized people must stay at least 100 feet from the building, and judges are trained to contact the county elections office if someone refuses to comply.
Under federal law, monitors can work to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act and accessibility laws, Knudson said. If local offices refuse them entry, monitors may still talk with voters beyond the 100-foot limit, and voters can decline to talk with them.
Noecker said she had not received a response from the county to her specific demands. She pointed to Hennepin County, which she said set clear boundaries for federal monitors during the August primary and communicated them publicly.
“County officials should establish clear rules and protocols now, communicate them publicly, and make sure the people responsible for administering and protecting our elections know exactly what to do if federal personnel seek access to or engage with voters at polling places,” Noecker said.
She said St. Paul residents have raised concerns for months about how federal immigration enforcement could affect their willingness to participate in civic life.
“After what our community experienced during the federal immigration enforcement surge this past winter, I understand why some residents may be concerned about whether going to a polling place could expose them or their family members to federal enforcement activity,” she said.
Noecker said St. Paul has banned masks for federal agents, barred ICE from staging in city parking lots and strengthened its separation ordinance.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, led by John Choi, said it is coordinating with the county elections office, the Secretary of State’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office to prepare for potential threats, including disinformation campaigns, targeted voter intimidation, interference with mail-in ballots and illegal seizure of ballots or voting equipment. The office said it is ready to act quickly with the Attorney General’s Office if civil litigation is needed.
“Like any crime, we will also hold accountable anyone, including federal actors, when we receive evidence of criminal conduct,” the office said. “The rule of law will apply to all and will be upheld in Ramsey County.”
The office also said it is watching a Justice Department plan to deploy a record 1,000 election monitors nationwide for the midterms. Monitors are “not inherently threatening,” the office said, but the scale merits close scrutiny.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, who released updated voting rights guidance Sept. 18, said he does not anticipate needing to enforce the state’s voter protection laws, “but I will not hesitate to do so in order to keep our elections free from force, threats, or disinformation weaponized to keep Minnesotans from the ballot box, no matter who those threats come from.”
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
Voters who have an issue at their polling place should talk with the head election judge or contact the Ramsey County Elections Office, according to state and county officials. The county will deploy more than 2,000 election judges, with 150 more on standby, and early voting turnout so far is slightly higher than in previous midterms, Hill said.
“Voting is a right in this country and a way to make your voice heard,” Knudson said, encouraging all eligible voters to make a plan to vote.
How to vote early
Information on early voting locations and voting by mail in Ramsey County is available at ramseycountymn.gov/residents/elections-voting/voters/vote-before-election-day. Statewide voting information is at mnvotes.gov. Voters with questions or concerns can call the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office at 877-600-VOTE (8683). To report intimidation at or near a polling place, contact the Ramsey County Elections Office at 651-266-2171 or call 911 if a crime is being committed. The Attorney General’s voting rights guidance is available at ag.state.mn.us.
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