Otter Tail County praised by state secretary of state
News | Published on February 10, 2026 at 3:43pm GMT+0000 | Author: Tucker Henderson
0Simon spoke during luncheon at state newspaper convention
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon spoke Jan. 29 to members of the Minnesota Newspaper Association at their annual convention in the Twin Cities.
By Tom Hintgen
Otter Tail County Correspondent
Retired Otter Tail County Auditor-Treasurer Wayne Stein said he worked with the Minnesota Secretary of State Office for many years and added that they always were focused on fairness of elections.
“Wayne and I worked often together to ensure voter fairness in both Otter Tail County and the state of Minnesota in its entirety,” said State Secretary of State Steve Simon at the luncheon of the Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) annual convention on Thursday, Jan. 29 in Brooklyn Park.
“People running elections are well trained at the state level just like at the local level in Otter Tail County and other counties throughout Minnesota, prior to primary and general elections,” Simon said.
Stein and other county auditors in west central Minnesota, in previous years, cited Sec. of State Simon’s experience, vast knowledge of election laws and procedures and a commitment to elections that were fair, honest and trustworthy.
Simon is a former state House member who focused on consumer protection when serving in the Minnesota State Legislature. He, his wife and two children have lived in Hopkins near the Twin Cities.
He grew up in St. Louis Park and graduated with a B.A in Political Science from Tufts University in Massachusetts in 1992. Simon graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996.
Simon, who has served as state secretary of state since 2015, said that disinformation about the voting process through social media is a major concern. One slanderous statement heard often in 2020 was that the secretary of state office falsified votes. Auditors, however, found only 17 cases of voter misconduct out of approximately 3.3 million votes that were cast in Minnesota that year.
The secretary of state office does not count votes. Election judges are trained to handle all aspects of voting at the county levels before results are forwarded to the Secretary of State Office in St. Paul.
Election equipment throughout Minnesota is tested, verified for accuracy and certified before every election. A state canvassing board is responsible for certifying election results from each of Minnesota’s 87 counties.