A recently introduced bill in Congress would withhold federal funding for elections in Minnesota unless state officials comply with federal demands for the state’s voting records.

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., on Monday introduced the Minnesota Voter Integrity Act of 2026. The bill is co-authored by Minnesota’s other Republican members of Congress: Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach and U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad.

The bill would withhold federal Help America Vote Act funds from Minnesota until Secretary of State Steve Simon cooperates with a U.S. Department of Justice review of Minnesota’s registration and voting practices.

Stauber’s office did not respond to a request for comment. However, in a news release announcing the legislation, Stauber said Minnesotans deserve to know their election process is fair, accurate and protected.

“Unfortunately, the Secretary of State’s office — with the support of Governor Walz — is so far refusing to provide the DOJ with voter registration and election data to verify its integrity,” Stauber said. “If Governor Walz and Secretary Simon want federal election assistance funding, they need to get serious about election security.”

The legislation is the latest piece in an ongoing effort by the federal government to access Minnesota’s voter rolls.

In September the DOJ announced it would sue Minnesota for refusing to hand over the voter records.

In a Jan. 24 letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi laid out a series of demands for Minnesota amid a surge of federal immigration enforcement in the state. One demand was that Minnesota allow federal officials access voter rolls to “confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law as authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1960.”

In a statement, Minnesota Secretary of State Simon addressed Stauber’s bill.

“The proposed legislation is an irresponsible stunt,” Simon said. “It would actively damage the security of our elections by threatening to starve Minnesota of critical federal funds that help protect our election infrastructure from harm or attack.”

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In Minnesota, HAVA funding is used to protect digital infrastructure and the statewide voter registration system, along with supporting townships, cities and counties that administer elections, Simon said.