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Minnesota lets voters ‘vouch’ for up to 8 others as fraud scandals fuel calls for federal crackdown
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Fresh attention is being drawn to a Minnesota election policy that allows a registered voter to «vouch» for up to eight people seeking same-day registration.
The scrutiny comes as the Walz administration confronts hundreds of millions of dollars lost to social services fraud tied to the state’s Somali immigrant community. Critics pointed to a further wrinkle in Minnesota state law – signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023 – that provided for «Driver’s Licenses For All» regardless of immigration status. The policy also stipulates that the licenses carry no markings indicating citizenship, even though such IDs are commonly used to register to vote.
Under Minnesota law, a registered voter can «vouch» for up to eight other voters’ residency who want to sign up for same-day voter registration without an ID.
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The registered voter must go with the person or people to the polling place and sign an oath verifying their address, according to an official fact sheet from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.
«A registered voter can vouch for up to eight voters. You cannot vouch for others if someone vouched for you,» the department said in the fact sheet.
Unvouched-for residents who want to vote same-day must provide at least one form of identity verification; including a valid Minnesota license or learner’s permit, a «receipt» for them, or a tribal identification card that includes a photo and signature.
ONE CHART LAYS BARE THE SPRAWLING FRAUD NETWORK MINNESOTA OFFICIALS MISSED
So long as the prospective voter can prove residency, the proof-of-ID can be a driver’s license or learner’s permit from any of the 50 states, a passport, an expired ID, military ID, or Minnesota university or high school identification card.
If a person is registered to vote in a precinct but changed their name or moved within the precinct, they can also vote as long as they inform the precinct election judge of their previous name or address.
The situation drew the attention of a top Republican in the Senate who has persistently advocated for secure elections.
ILHAN OMAR’S SOMALILAND STANCE SLAMMED AS MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL DEEPENS
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah cited voting rights activist Scott Presler’s accounting of the voter «vouching» policy and said his SAVE Act – Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility – would require proof-of-citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
The bill could stymie Minnesota’s current policy, as Lee’s language establishes criminal penalties against election officials who register applicants to vote that fail to present documentary proof of citizenship.
«The Senate should send it to President Trump’s desk for signature ASAP,» Lee said.
FBI SURGES RESOURCES TO MINNESOTA AS PATEL CALLS $250M FRAUD SCHEME ‘TIP OF ICEBERG’
The SAVE Act passed the House in April but awaits further action in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Presler told Fox News Digital he was inspired by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley to further investigate fraud in Minnesota.
«I thought, ‘why not use this opportunity to expose potential voter fraud as Minnesota is trending’,» he said.
Of the vouching policy laid out on Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s official website, Presler commented, «Does this allow for potential fraud and abuse of our elections? Absolutely – Especially when you consider that MN has same-day voter registration.»
He noted that «Saturday Night Live» alum and former Democratic Sen. Al Franken won his 2008 election by only 312 votes, while adding that about 542,000 or 19% of Minnesota voters took advantage of same-day registration.
An official in Simon’s office told Fox News Digital that the vouching policy has been intact for «more than 50 years.»
Several measures are in place to help keep the election system in Minnesota secure under the vouching policy, according to deputy communications director Cassondra Knudson.
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER MINNESOTA AG POSTS ABOUT CRACKING DOWN ON FRAUD: ‘YOU’RE KIDDING RIGHT?’
Voting booths are pictured here. (Paul Richards/AFP via Getty Images)
«Vouching can only be used to provide proof of a potential voter’s residence in the precinct. The potential voter must still provide their Minnesota driver’s license or ID card number or the last four digits of their Social Security number for identity verification,» Knudson said.
«Vouching is most commonly used in senior living facilities by residents who have not updated their driver’s licenses to reflect their current residence. It is also sometimes used in cases where an eligible voter has recently moved to a new address and lacks identification indicating the new address.»
The statute in question provides for election judges to fill out a form to record the number of vouching voters – which then is affirmed through the oath of the voter-applicant.
GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS WALZ ACT AFTER BILLIONS LOST IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
Knudson also shared a web page with information detailing Minnesota’s election security measures, which include the prevalence of election judges at each polling place, cross-checking ballots cast for the number of voters recorded each election night, and safeguards to prevent absentee voters from casting more than one ballot.
Bill Glahn of the Center for the American Experiment – a Twin Cities-based conservative public policy organization – said of proponents who talk of safeguards, «it’s like murder’s illegal, but it happens all the time.»
«It’s a penalty of perjury,» he said. «You signed an oath, but if you signed as Mickey Mouse, they’re not going to find you.»
HHS PROBES MINNESOTA’S USE OF BILLIONS IN FEDERAL SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDS AMID FRAUD CONCERNS: REPORT
«Early on in my residency in Minnesota, I went to vote. And I saw this firsthand. I saw somebody doing this – somebody vouching in half a dozen people, and they were laughing and giggling like, ‘I can’t believe this is working.’ And I was infuriated seeing this.»
In response to Glahn, Knudson told Fox News Digital that anyone claiming to be «Mickey Mouse,» in his example, would have to confirm their previous voter registration under the name of the Disney character – and that both the person vouching and being vouched for would be recorded at the time and verified after election day for any criminal referral that would arise from potentially unlawful vouching.
Some Minnesota lawmakers have taken issue with voter verification policies at the state level, with the subject of illegal immigrants being able to vote – whether through loopholes or otherwise – drawing a contentious exchange during a state House hearing.
Minnesota Elections Director Paul Linnell – a Simon appointee – was challenged on the state’s election security posture during a hearing before the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee.
RED STATE GOVERNOR TOUTS MEDICAID SAVINGS AS MINNESOTA GRAPPLES WITH WIDESPREAD FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
State Rep. Patti Anderson, R-Eagan, told Linnell that Minnesota gives driver’s licenses to «anyone here – you don’t have to be a citizen,» and suggested they may try to register to vote with an incorrect Social Security number and have their registration be considered «incomplete.»
«But, if they walk into vote with their driver’s license, does that make them all of a sudden now, OK?»
Linnell replied that the «designation on the roster for someone whose registration had been incomplete if they present the election judge with that acceptable identification document, that would clear the challenge from the roster and they would be permitted to cast a ballot.»
‘NO WAY’ WALZ ADMINISTRATION WAS UNAWARE OF MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL, EMMER SAYS
«Well, OK, there’s your problem, potentially,» Anderson replied.
Chairwoman Kristen Robbins, R-Maple Grove, summed up the issue as «someone who is not a citizen but who presents a driver’s license at that point in the process could be permitted to vote.»
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Fox News Digital reached out to Walz for comment.
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President Donald Trump granted clemency this year to a range of figures he viewed as victims of an unfair justice system. Some were tied to his newfound interest in cryptocurrency or shared in his 2020 election grievances, while another was simply brought up during a round of golf.
While presidents of both parties have long used their pardon power in controversial ways, Trump’s clemency activity in 2025 stood out for its volume and for the deal-making style that has been a defining feature of his approach to power.
What follows is a list of some of the president’s most controversial pardons in 2025.
Jan. 6 defendants
The day Trump took office, he issued mass clemency to nearly all his supporters who had been convicted of federal offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Trump said at the time they had been «treated very unfair» by prosecutors and the courts.
Roughly 1,600 people faced charges over the Capitol attack, and the Department of Justice secured guilty pleas or convictions for more than 1,200 of them, according to federal data. About 200 pleaded guilty to felonies that included assaulting officers, and more than 200 others were convicted in trials of offenses that included attacking law enforcement.
Trump singled out 14 of the defendants, some of whom received prison sentences that stretched beyond a decade, and commuted their sentences instead of pardoning them. They included numerous Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders.
BOASBERG REVERSES COURSE ON JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS PARDONED BY TRUMP
President Donald Trump’s supporters rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., while some breach restricted areas on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
The president also directed the DOJ to drop pending cases for all the remaining defendants. The grand act of clemency wiped out one of the DOJ’s largest and most resource-intensive law enforcement operations in history. Cases were brought throughout all four years of the Biden administration.
Changpeng Zhao
The founder and former CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency platform, was convicted of anti-money laundering violations and received a full pardon in October 2025.
The pardon came one week after Donald Trump Jr. introduced a lobbyist for Zhao to Trump while on stage at Charlie Kirk’s memorial.
Critics observed that Binance has boosted the Trump family’s cryptocurrency company, but a lawyer denied any business reasons for the pardon, instead telling the Wall Street Journal Zhao was «pardoned for justice.»
George Santos
The former U.S. representative who was found to be a serial fabulist after his congressional run had his seven-year prison sentence commuted in October 2025.
Santos pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity-theft charges, admitting to using campaign funds to buy luxury products and pay off his credit card debt.
Fellow Long Island Republicans who had previously called for his resignation reacted angrily to the commutation, with Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., calling it «not justice» and unfair to the people Santos defrauded.
HONDURAS ISSUES WARRANT FOR FORMER PRESIDENT PARDONED BY TRUMP
Former Rep. George Santos arrives at court in Central Islip, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Trump said Santos, who became an outspoken supporter of the president prior to receiving the pardon, was mistreated in jail. Santos «has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,» Trump said.
Tim Leiweke
Leiweke, a sports executive, was charged by the Trump DOJ’s Antitrust Division with rigging a bid to build an arena at the University of Texas.
The DOJ accused Leiweke of violating the Sherman Act by gypping the university and taxpayers out of a fair bidding process to benefit his own company.
Former Rep. Trey Gowdy, who represented Leiweke, persuaded Trump to grant his client the pardon after a round of golf at Mar-a-Lago, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
Juan Orlando Hernandez
Trump issued a heavily criticized pardon to Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, who had been convicted in a U.S. federal court on drug-trafficking and firearms charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison for helping cocaine traffickers move hundreds of tons of narcotics into the U.S.
Trump’s pardon, granted in December, freed Hernandez from prison in West Virginia just days before Honduras’s presidential election. Honduras responded by issuing a warrant for Hernandez’s arrest.
Trump claimed Hernandez had been unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration. Critics observed that Trump has pushed legal boundaries to carry out one of his top agenda items, cracking down on drug trafficking, and that Hernandez’s release was counterproductive to that mission.
The Chrisleys
Todd and Julie Chrisley, reality TV stars from «Chrisley Knows Best,» were convicted in 2022 of bank fraud and tax evasion and both serving prison sentences when Trump pardoned them in May. Trump cited «pretty harsh treatment» as his reason for the clemency.
Their daughter, Savannah, endorsed Trump during the Republican National Committee convention ahead of the 2024 election. The daughter revealed in December she is stepping into a cohost role on «The View.» Incidentally, Savannah Chrisley’s future cohosts had slammed her parents’ pardon as unethical.
NEW MOTION SEEKS COLORADO CLERK TINA PETERS’ RELEASE, CHALLENGING STATE AFTER TRUMP PARDON
Reality TV star Todd Chrisley speaks as his daughter Savannah Chrisley looks on during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
«If you are a reality star with a lot of money, and a tax cheat, and you commit fraud, then that’s good. We’re going to give you a pardon,» anti-Trump host Joy Behar had said.
Devon Archer
Trump granted a full pardon to Archer, who was convicted in a federal fraud case, in March 2025. Archer was a longtime business partner of Hunter Biden but became an ally to House Republicans as they investigated the Bidens for what they said were corrupt foreign business dealings.
Henry Cuellar and his wife
The Democratic congressman from Texas and his wife were pardoned after the Biden DOJ brought federal bribery charges against them.
Trump claimed they were unfairly targeted because Henry Cuellar, a moderate who represented a battleground district in South Texas, supported more border security than many of his Democratic colleagues. However, when Cuellar filed for reelection as a Democrat after Trump’s pardon, the president said he was displeased.
«Such a lack of LOYALTY,» Trump wrote on social media. «Oh well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!»
Tina Peters
Trump announced in December that he pardoned Tina Peters, the former Mesa County, Colorado, elections clerk who was serving a 9-year state prison sentence for orchestrating a data-breach scheme to advance fraud claims related to the 2020 election.
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Trump framed the pardon as support for her efforts to «expose voter fraud,» but because her convictions were in Colorado state court, legal experts and state officials say the president has no authority to pardon state-level convictions, and her sentence has not been automatically erased or resulted in her release.
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Quién es quién en el nuevo conflicto de Yemen que enfrenta a Arabia Saudita y Emiratos Árabes Unidos
La escalada de tensiones en el sur del Yemen entre Arabia Saudita y Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) ha revelado el conflicto interno en la coalición antihutí, con acusaciones de Riad contra Abu Dhabi por amenazar su seguridad nacional, en medio de la ofensiva secesionista yemení en el sur.
La coalición militar liderada por Arabia Saudita bombardeó este martes un cargamento de armas procedente de Emiratos en el puerto de Mukalla, en el sur del Yemen, destinado a los secesionistas del Consejo de Transición Sureño (CTS), un episodio de violencia que marca también la primera acusación pública de Riad contra su aliado por alimentar divisiones internas.
El Consejo de Liderazgo Presidencial (CLP) -que actúa como órgano ejecutivo del Yemen reconocido internacionalmente– encabezado por Rashad al Alimi decretó en esta jornada un estado de emergencia de 90 días en las zonas bajo su control, un bloqueo aéreo, terrestre y marítimo de 72 horas, y rompió el acuerdo de defensa con EAU.
Y exigió a los emiratíes la retirada inmediata de sus fuerzas y personal en 24 horas, al considerar que Abu Dhabi instiga un “golpe de Estado” al respaldar la ofensiva del CTS en las provincias orientales de Hadramut y Al Mahra.
Esta crisis, originada en la ofensiva relámpago del CTS a principios de diciembre que le permitió controlar dos provincias ricas en recursos y fronterizas con Omán y Arabia Saudita, evidencia las fisuras en la coalición formada en 2015 y que podría beneficiar indirectamente a los hutíes.
Estos son los principales actores implicados en el conflicto.
Esta alianza, liderada formalmente por Arabia Saudita y, paradójicamente, por Emiratos Árabes Unidos, se formó en 2015 para apoyar al Gobierno yemení reconocido internacionalmente y por la ONU contra los rebeldes chiíes hutíes -respaldados por Irán-, que tomaron el control de Saná y amplias zonas del país en 2014.
Esta coalición, donde Arabia Saudita es el único en la práctica con activos militares, busca restaurar la legitimidad del Gobierno exiliado en Adén y contrarrestar la influencia iraní sobre los hutíes, aunque ha enfrentado críticas por el impacto humanitario de sus acciones y que ahora ha revelado sus divisiones internas.
Además de Riad y Abu Dhabi, esta alianza también cuenta nominalmente con Jordania, Marruecos y Egipto como miembros, así como Kuwait y Baréin. También ha contado con respaldo internacional como Estados Unidos, Francia y Alemania, entre otros, para capacitar y compartir inteligencia.
EAU apoya militar y económicamente a los secesionistas del sur, agrupados en el Consejo de Transición Sureño (CTS), formado en 2017 por Aidarus al Zubaidi tras su destitución como gobernador de Adén, y que se oponen a los hutíes.
Pese a que Al Zubaidi sea el vicepresidente del Consejo de Liderazgo Presidencial desde 2022, lidera al grupo separatista que lanzó la ofensiva este diciembre contra las unidades militares ligadas al Gobierno reconocido.
El CTS busca reavivar un Yemen del Sur independiente, como el que existió entre 1967 y 1990, y ha recibido envíos de armas desde puertos emiratíes como Fujairah, lo que ha provocado acusaciones de “escalada peligrosa” por parte de Riad y el Gobierno yemení, incluyendo el control reciente de provincias orientales como Hadramut (rica en petróleo) y Al Mahra, fronterizas con Omán y Arabia Saudita.
El Gobierno yemení (o CLP) es un órgano colegiado cuyo líder es Al Alimi, que asumió el poder tras la renuncia de Abdo Rabu Mansur Hadi en 2022 bajo presiones saudíes. Su lucha primordial es contra los hutíes para recuperar el control territorial y restaurar la unidad del país, pero ahora enfrenta divisiones internas instigadas por EAU.
Este Gobierno, con sede en Adén, -los hutíes tomaron Saná hace 11 años- ha impuesto medidas como el estado de emergencia y la ruptura de acuerdos con Abu Dhabi por considerar que el apoyo emiratí al CTS socava su autoridad, fomenta conflictos tribales y podría beneficiar a los rebeldes hutíes, amenazando la cohesión institucional y la seguridad en zonas clave como las provincias orientales, ricas en petróleo.
Su poder militar es muy limitado, y en la práctica se restringe a las fuerzas de la coalición liderada por los saudíes.
Este movimiento insurgente chií respaldado por Irán inició un golpe en 2014 capturando Saná y amplias regiones del norte y oeste del Yemen. Representan el principal adversario de la coalición y el Gobierno reconocido, controlando la capital y zonas estratégicas que incluyen accesos al mar Rojo.
Aunque no están directamente involucrados en la actual crisis secesionista, las autoridades yemeníes y saudíes advierten de que las tensiones internas podrían reavivar luchas que los benefician indirectamente, permitiendo a los hutíes consolidar posiciones y explotar la fragmentación, en un conflicto que ha durado más de una década y ha causado un colapso humanitario en el país.
(Con información de EFE)
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At least a dozen states are scrambling to limit health insurance premium hikes after Congress failed to renew enhanced Obamacare subsidies, leaving millions of Americans facing higher health care costs.
States including California, Colorado, Maryland and New Mexico have approved or are considering temporary measures to help some residents afford coverage, but some officials across the country said the cost of replacing federal subsidies for millions of enrollees is beyond the reach of state budgets, according to Politico.
«We can carry the cost for a little bit, but at some point, we will need Congress to act,» New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez told the outlet. New Mexico is so far the only state to fully replace the expired subsidies.
Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, was former President Barack Obama’s signature piece of legislation which expanded healthcare coverage to millions of Americans in 2010. Critics argue it forced people to buy insurance, raised costs for some consumers and significantly expanded the federal government’s role in health care.
SPEAKER JOHNSON EKES OUT HEALTHCARE BILL VICTORY AFTER HOUSE GOP OBAMACARE REBELLION
At least a dozen states are scrambling to limit health insurance premium hikes after Congress failed to renew enhanced Obamacare subsidies, leaving millions of Americans facing higher health care costs. (iStock)
The looming expiration of the subsidies hung over negotiations during the longest-ever government shutdown in the fall, as Republicans and Democrats tried — and failed — to pass competing plans to extend or replace the enhanced tax credits.
The lapse of the subsidies is expected to push millions of Americans out of the individual insurance market, increasing pressure on state Medicaid programs and hospitals already facing financial strain. State responses have varied widely, reflecting political divisions, fiscal constraints and differing views on the Affordable Care Act.
According to Politico, California, which anticipated the subsidies would expire, is spending nearly $200 million to support roughly 300,000 lower-income residents, but officials warn that hundreds of thousands more could still lose coverage.
COLLINS, MORENO UNVEIL OBAMACARE PLAN AS REPUBLICANS SEARCH FOR SOLUTION TO EXPIRING SUBSIDIES
Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, was former President Barack Obama’s signature piece of legislation which expanded healthcare coverage to millions of Americans in 2010. (By Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images; Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Some states are using regulatory maneuvers rather than direct funding to stretch remaining subsidies. Other states, including Georgia and Washington, say budget shortfalls or political opposition prevent them from acting.
Most states have taken no action at all, including both Republican-led states that oppose the Affordable Care Act and some Democrat-led states that support it, according to Politico.
A few lawmakers in Maine and other battlegrounds worry their efforts could disincentivize Congress from coming up with a federal solution.
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, announced their plan to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies by two years, include income caps and end zero-cost premiums. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images ; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Earlier this month, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, held bipartisan confabs to hash out a framework for an Obamacare fix that could meet the desires of both sides of the aisle, but it has not been formally written into a bill that passed either chamber yet.
Any fix would likely involve a short-term extension of subsidies paired with Republican demands for guardrails, such as income limits or cost controls.
Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report.
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