A Minnesota state election official appeared on Somali-language television days before the election and walked viewers through how to vote with no citizenship verification required at the polls, and the clip has since gone viral with nearly a million views.
Melanie Hazelip, Minnesota’s voter outreach director, told viewers that registered voters don’t need to bring anything to their early voting location. For those not registered, she explained, a Minnesota ID is enough to register and vote the same day. If someone lacks an ID, she said, a list of acceptable documents is posted on the state’s website, and same-day registration remains an option regardless.
Hazelip’s remarks were accurate under current Minnesota law. That’s precisely the problem, critics say.
Why It Spread
The clip was posted by conservative account End Wokeness and quickly drew sharp reaction. Retired Navy intelligence officer Phillip C. Parrish laid out the mechanics on X: “A Minnesota election official just went on Somali TV and walked viewers through how to same-day register and vote using a Minnesota state ID. Minnesota hands out those IDs to non-citizens with no citizenship marking. Vouching lets one registered voter clear up to eight others on an oath. Citizenship is required by law. Real-time proof is not.”
Parrish continued: “The same state that lost hundreds of millions to documented fraud in childcare, nutrition, and Medicaid programs is now advertising the lowest-friction path to the ballot on community TV. Affirm you’re a citizen. Cast the vote. Get investigated later—if at all. This is how the system is built. It is not an accident.”
Federalist Society co-founder David McIntosh asked on X, “How is this not election interference?” Red Ax Strategies president Matthew Brodsky wrote, “Nothing to see here, I’m sure.” Conservative commentator Riley Gaines pointed to pending legislation, writing, “This is why passing the SAVE America Act is crucial.”
The ID Problem
At the center of the controversy is a 2023 Minnesota law signed by Gov. Tim Walz, known as “Driver’s Licenses For All,” which grants licenses regardless of immigration status and carries no citizenship marking. Those same IDs are routinely accepted to register to vote.
State law also allows a single registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight other people seeking same-day registration without ID. The registered voter must accompany the person to the polling place and sign an oath affirming their address, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office.
Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, has described the honor-system nature of the safeguard bluntly: “It’s like murder’s illegal, but it happens all the time. It’s a penalty of perjury. You signed an oath, but if you signed as Mickey Mouse, they’re not going to find you.”
Glahn told Fox News Digital that given the timing so close to the election and the Somali-language audience, Hazelip “really should have emphasized the need to be an American citizen in order to vote.” He noted that while most Somali immigrants in Minnesota are naturalized citizens, not all are, and pointed to a noncitizen recently sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in the Feeding Our Future fraud case.
A State Already Under Scrutiny
The backlash lands as the Walz administration deals with the fallout from hundreds of millions of dollars in social services fraud tied to Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community. In September, federal prosecutors indicted an illegal immigrant from India for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to vote in Minnesota’s 2024 general election.
The Minnesota Secretary of State’s office defended Hazelip’s appearance, saying her office “provides information and resources on Minnesota election laws to hundreds of nonpartisan community groups every year as a part of our regular voter engagement efforts.” The office said Hazelip “provided accurate information about Minnesota election laws and how eligible voters cast their ballots,” and said her remarks “have been misinterpreted and misrepresented by political actors online.” The statement added that “with only a few days left before the election, we remain focused on making sure every eligible Minnesotan knows how and where to cast their ballot.”
