Minnesota Lawmakers Plan Lawsuit to Stop Certification of Election Results
From The Epoch Times
BY
Lawmakers in Minnesota said late Monday they have filed a lawsuit to halt the certification of election results, alleging wrongdoing by Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Simon, a Democrat, “illegally altered Minnesota’s election laws,” state Republican Reps. Steve Drazkowski, Tim Miller, and Jeremy Munson said in a joint statement.
“His office issued unlawful consent decrees that greatly affected the rules that govern absentee ballots and who can assist people at the polls. To circumvent the Minnesota Legislature and unilaterally change election law is entirely unconstitutional. This abuse of power must be addressed,” they added.
The lawmakers said they were joining with other legislators and candidates to file a lawsuit against Simon.
A search of federal courts didn’t show a new lawsuit against Simon.
The lawmakers are part of the New House Republican Caucus. Requests for the suit sent to Drazkowski and the caucus weren’t immediately returned.
The lawmakers said they were asking a court to suspend the certification of election results until certain issues were addressed. One of the issues, they said, was Simon’s alleged violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment through his rule that resulted in absentee, or mail-in, ballots being treated differently from county to county.
“Contrary to Steve Simon’s beliefs, only the Minnesota Legislature has the power to change election law. The secretary’s refusal to adhere to constitutional principles is an affront to free and fair elections. We intend to fix this mess,” they said.
A spokesperson for Simon said in a statement, “Neither our office nor our assigned attorney from the attorney general’s office has seen the lawsuit, but absent any order to the contrary, we’re proceeding with the statewide canvass tomorrow as planned.”
Minnesota’s state canvassing board is scheduled Tuesday to certify the election results.