NEW: Blue State Republican Sounds Alarm After Shocking Voter Roll Discovery

A Minnesota lawmaker is raising concerns about voter roll records in the state’s most populous county, igniting a fresh clash over who gets to see election data.

“Why is there such an effort to block us or any election integrity group to see this information?” state Rep. Pam Altendorf said Saturday.

Altendorf, a Republican and vice chair of the Minnesota House Elections Committee, said the dispute began after she sought access to active voter roll data from several counties. She said she submitted formal requests to four counties after reviewing state statutes and consulting with election integrity advocates, arguing she had the authority to obtain the information.

According to Altendorf, counties were advised by the Minnesota secretary of state’s office not to release the records. Three counties declined her request. Hennepin County, the largest by population, complied and provided the data.

Altendorf said her review of Hennepin County’s voter roll turned up what she described as troubling irregularities. She said she identified nearly 3,000 active voter entries missing key identifying details, including birthdates, names and addresses. She also cited what she called potential duplicate records.

Though Altendorf did not provide specific examples, she said some voters appeared to be more than 100 years old.

RELATED: Oversight Committee Launches Probe Into Noncitizens On Swing State’s Voter Rolls

Alpha News reported that 1900 was commonly used as a placeholder birth year for voters who registered before 1983, when providing a date of birth was not required.

A spokesperson for Hennepin County said the county administers elections in accordance with state law and guidance from the secretary of state’s office.

The spokesperson also said that “address verification is a routine reason a voter record may be flagged as challenged, ‘including when a registration confirmation postcard is returned as undeliverable.’”

Altendorf said her effort to obtain the data was partly prompted by reports that the U.S. Department of Justice had requested voter roll information from states nationwide as part of election integrity initiatives. She said Minnesota declined to provide the data, citing privacy concerns.

In response, Altendorf said she examined Minnesota statutes and worked with election integrity organizations, including Minnesota Voters Alliance, before concluding she could request the records directly.

Altendorf accused Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, of obstructing her access.

“If they’re clean, that’s great. And if not, if [Minnesota Secretary of State] Steve Simon is unable or unwilling to clean our voter rolls, then we absolutely have to get federal help because this is disenfranchising every legal voter in Minnesota.”

Altendorf said Simon is “actively working to deny” her, as a sitting member of the House Elections Committee, the ability to access voter roll information to determine whether the records are accurate.

The secretary of state’s office has not publicly responded to Altendorf’s claims. The dispute adds to ongoing national debates over voter roll maintenance, transparency, and election security, issues that continue to divide lawmakers along party lines.

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