Top Takeaways from Full Committee Hearing with Secretaries of State on Voter Eligibility and List Maintenance

WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on House Administration held a Full Committee Hearing titled, "Oversight with Secretaries of State: List Maintenance and Eligibility Verification."

Witnesses:

• The Honorable Scott Schwab, Kansas Secretary of State
• The Honorable Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State

In case you missed it, here are the top takeaways:

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): In Minnesota, you have a vouching opportunity as well, right. So an individual who is registered to vote in Minnesota, could show up with up to eight individuals and vouch for them. Is that accurate?

The Honorable Steve Simon: Yes, but they are only vouching for where they live, not their citizenship or age only.

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): Because it's not asked, right? I mean, they would simply check a box that would say that they are a U.S. citizen. Is that accurate?

The Honorable Steve Simon: As in almost every other state, yes.

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): It's an attestation aspect. So where they live is what you could vouch for?

The Honorable Steve Simon: Correct.

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): So an individual who's registered to vote in Minnesota could walk in with eight people from the Quality Learing Center, vouch that they live in Minneapolis and those individuals would then be registered to vote, would be capable of casting a ballot. Is that accurate?

The Honorable Steve Simon: Not quite, almost. I would say they have to live in the same precinct and they have to swear an oath, and that's all.

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): They would have to swear to that, right? I mean, that one person could vouch for up to eight individuals that that is the case.

The Honorable Steve Simon: Just as to residents, that's true.

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): Right, so then the concern is whether or not people are doing this inaccurately.

2. List Maintenance Blackout Periods

Vice Chair Laurel Lee (FL-15): Now, you just touched on something that I think is very important that I want to be sure we highlight. And this is because of the existing blackout periods, even if you have a verified death of a voter in your community that's on your voter rolls, it's correct to say that there's this time period where you can't remove them from the rolls, regardless of the fact that you verified that information. Correct?

The Honorable Scott Schwab: Yeah, that's 90 days of list maintenance that's just lost.

Vice Chair Laurel Lee (FL-15): So would it be helpful to you if that time period was shortened or changed or eliminated? What do you think would be the best approach to that blackout?

The Honorable Scott Schwab: I would like it shortened. And then certain exemptions like death. If we have a confirmed death, for example. God forbid, I was assassinated within the 90 day. It would be very public. It'd be known. But yet it's against federal law to remove me from the voter rolls. I think it should be okay to remove me in that situation or anybody else that you have a confirmed death again. It's got to be confirmed. It can't be just by rumor.

Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15): On July 28th, 2025 the White House invited all state chief election officials to a briefing on the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, the SAVE program, which checks against multiple federal databases for citizenship, verification of registered voters. Over a dozen Secretaries of State, Republican and Democrat attended this briefing, hosted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, were in attendance. Were you in attendance?

The Honorable Steve Simon: I don't know if that's the one I was or not. I was at the White House. I don't know whether it was July. It was hot out, I remember that, but I was at I was at a bipartisan meeting of Secretaries invited by the White House. I can't recall whether it was that one or it was in May or June, or I can't recall, but I did attend one, yes.

Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15): Are you accessing this fantastic database?

The Honorable Steve Simon: Representative, we are not. We have come to the judgment that it is not yet ready for use in Minnesota and would require our legislature to change our law.

Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15): Okay, that's really too bad because it would be helpful. And I do want to remind everybody that under Joe Biden, the border was open. We allowed unvetted people to come over the border, people that would not be eligible to have come over, pour over our border, up to possibly 20 million people. Why? Why would Joe Biden, Mayorkas and the Democrats have allowed this? It is about votes. The American people, Republicans and Democrats, support the SAVE America Act. The MEGA Act is a great piece of legislation to ensure that only eligible voters are voting in our elections, and that noncitizens are not voting. I think it would be extremely helpful and give people confidence to know that you are accessing everything available, including this database that President Trump has made available to ensure that noncitizens are not voting.