ST. CLOUD — Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon brought his office’s services to St. Cloud on Wednesday, Sept. 23, giving Central Minnesota business owners an opportunity to complete state filings in person without traveling to St. Paul.
It was the first such "pop-up" business filing event hosted by the secretary of state. Simon's staff from the business services division helped owners and entrepreneurs with new registrations, renewals and amendments in the Stearns County Courthouse rotunda. The event also offered apostille authentication, which certifies public documents for use in another country.
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“People can do this online, but on any given day, we have an office full of people in St. Paul because they like doing things in person,” Simon told St. Cloud LIVE. “Those opportunities shouldn’t be limited to how close you are — everyone in Minnesota should have the same opportunities.”
Simon says it's an effort to make the secretary of state’s business services more accessible for those who prefer or need in-person assistance but may have difficulty traveling.
St. Cloud was selected as the first location for the pop-up event because of its accessibility, said Deputy Secretary of State for Operations Justin Erickson. More pop-up events will be held across Minnesota on a regular basis. The office expects to fine-tune the process based on what it learned here, Simon said.
Simon is seeking another term as secretary of state. He has served since 2015, following a decade in the Minnesota House of Representatives where he represented Hopkins and St. Louis Park. Democrat Simon is facing a challenge from Republican Tad Jude, among other candidates. The general election is Nov. 3.
Simon on Wednesday also discussed election security and voter access.
“We are blessed in Minnesota by having checks and balances in our elections process to ensure access for all eligible voters and security,” Simon said.
He added the state has historically had low rates of election errors, while also acknowledging errors can occur.
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“I’m not saying it’s zero, but it is very, very minuscule,” he said.
He said his office and local election officials work to ensure only eligible voters cast ballots while providing multiple ways to participate, including voting in person Nov. 3 on Election Day, voting early in person or voting by mail.
“I never tell people how to vote — I don’t care how they do it,” Simon said. “I just encourage all eligible voters to vote.”
Personally, Simon prefers voting in person. As a father of two, he said he likes bringing his children with him to the polls and makes a point of thanking election judges for their work.
Minnesota recorded a 76.35% turnout rate in the 2024 general election, with 3.27 million ballots cast, according to the Simon's office. That was below the state’s 79.96% turnout in 2020 but above its 61.01% turnout in the 2022 midterm election.
Simon has said he wants Minnesota to maintain its high voter participation. The Secretary of State’s Office reported that Minnesota narrowly trailed Wisconsin to lead the nation in 2024 turnout, with Wisconsin at 76.64%.