>> ERIC: THE FALL MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE LESS THAN SEVEN MONTHS AWAY.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DEMANDING VOTING CHANGES NATIONWIDE.

TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER LAST TO WEEK TO CREATE A NATIONAL LIST OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS.

HIS RESPONSE TO LEGISLATION CURRENTLY STUCK IN THE U.S.

SENATE.

THAT FEDERAL BILL, KNOWN AS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, ADDS REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTERS, INCLUDING SPECIFIC IDENTIFICATION.

MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATE STEVE SIMON JOINS US.

A LOT OF HAND RINGING ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.

YOU'VE ALWAYS STRUCK ME AS VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT MINNESOTA'S ABILITY TO PULL THIS OFF.

>> I AM OPTIMISTIC.

TODAY, IN CASE YOU WERE COUNTING, WE ARE 207 DAYS AWAY FROM THE GENERAL ELECTION.

AND, LOOK, I WANT TWO THINGS FOR THE COMING ELECTION.

HERE THEY ARE.

HIGH TURNOUT AND LOW DRAMA.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SHOOTING FOR.

HIGH TURNOUT I'M VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT.

MINNESOTA, WE ROCK IT ALMOST EVERY TIME, WE'RE ALMOST ALWAYS ONE, TWO, OR THREE IN THE COUNTRY IN VOTER TURNOUT.

LOW DRAMA, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DEPENDS ON A LOFT PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE.

AND I THINK WE CAN DO IT.

WE HAVE THE TOOLS, WE HAVE THE LAWS, WE HAVE THE PARTNERSHIPS, WE CAN DO IT, BUT WE'VE GOT TO BE WATCHFUL FOR THINGS THAT MIGHT BE THROWN IN OUR PATH.

>> Eric: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT LOCAL STATE ELECTIONS, IS THAT FAIR TO SAY?

>> THAT'S FAIR TO SAY.

THE CONSTITUTION'S REALLY CLEAR.

ARTICLE I, SECTION 4, SAYS THAT STATES ARE IN CHARGE OF THE TIME, PLACE AND MANNER OF ELECTIONS, EXCEPT CONGRESS CAN STEP IN FROM TIME TO TIME.

LIKE WITH THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.

BUT IT SAYS NOTHING WHATSOEVER ABOUT A PRESIDENT, THIS ONE OR ANYONE, JUST KIND OF WAVING A MAGIC WAND IN THE OVAL OFFICE AND DECREEING THINGS, WHICH IS WHY THE RECENT EXECUTIVE ORDER ACTIVITY IS REALLY CONCERNING AND WHY MINNESOTA HAS LINED UP ALONG WITH 20 PLUS STATES TO SUE TO GET THAT THING STRUCK DOWN.

>> Cathy: BECAUSE IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

>> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: WOULD BE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, DO YOU THINK, JUST LOOKING AT PURE POLITICS NOW, DO YOU THINK THE EXECUTIVE ORDER IS HIS -- THE PRESIDENT'S ATTEMPT TO MAYBE EKE OUT SOME LEVERAGE OR PUSH THE SENATE TO DO OMETHING ON THE SAVE ACT?

>> IT MIGHT BE.

THE SAVE ACT SEEMS TO BE REALLY BOTTLED UP IN THE U.S.

SENATE RIGHT NOW, NOTHING'S TRULY EVER DEAD IN WASHINGTON OR IN St.

PAUL, RIGHT, IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.

BUT RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS TO BE PRETTY MUCH BOTTLED UP AND MAYBE THAT'S RIGHT, MAYBE THIS IS A FACE-SAVING MEASURE OF SOME KIND.

I DO EXPECT IT WILL BE STRUCK DOWN.

PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES CAN'T JUST WAVE A MAGIC WAND AND START DECREEING STUFF FROM THE FEDERAL OFFICE -- FROM THE OVAL OFFICE WHEN IT COMES TO ELECTIONS.

>> Cathy: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SAVE ACT, HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD BE DISENFRANCHISED BY IT, IF IT WERE TO, SAY, PASS?

>> SO WE HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE IN THE STATE OF KANSAS.

ABOUT 10, 15 YEARS AGO, KANSAS HAD AN ELECTION UNDER THEIR STATE VERSION, KIND OF A MINI VERSION OF HE SAVE ACT.

AND BEFORE A FEDERAL JUDGE STRUCK THAT LAW DOWN IN KANSAS, THEY HAD THAT ELECTION AND 31,000 ELIGIBLE KANSASANS, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THIS, ELIGIBLE AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO WERE KANSASANS, WHO HAD BEEN VOTING IN SOME CASES FOR YEARS OR DECADES, THEY WERE TURNED AWAY AND THEY WERE SHUT DOWN IN THEIR EFFORTS TO VOTE.

NOW, WE ARE ROUGHLY TWO TIMES THE SIZE OF KANSAS, YOU CAN DO THE MATH.

THERE'S A REAL THREAT, I THINK, THAT IF WE HAD SOMETHING LIKE THIS COVERING MINNESOTA THAT YOU'D HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ELIGIBLE MINNESOTANS NOT ABLE TO VOTE.

>> Eric: YOU'RE ON THE ROAD A LOT TALKING TO GROUPS ABOUT ELECTION STUFF.

AND I WONDER, DO YOU PERCEIVE THAT THERE'S SOME SKEPTICISM THAT IT'S ON THE UP AND UP, THAT IT'S NOT RIGGED, THAT IT'S RIGGED, AND WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER TO THAT?

>> WELL, THERE ARE ALWAYS PEOPLE WHO RE GOING TO BE SKEPTICAL, AND SKEPTICISM'S OKAY.

WE'RE A DEMOCRACY, IT'S GOING TO BE SKEPTICAL OF YOUR GOVERNMENT AND ASK THEM REALLY HARD QUESTIONS.

ABOUT ANY SUBJECT.

BUT I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE REASONS WE KNOW THAT CONFIDENCE IN MINNESOTA ELECTIONS IS VERY HIGH.

NUMBER ONE, PUBLIC OPINION TELLS US SO.

THE LATEST "STAR TRIBUNE" POLL HAD IT I THINK AT 79% HAVE CONFIDENCE.

THAT'S REALLY HARD.

HARD O GET 79 -- THAT'S REALLY HIGH.

HARD TO GET 79% OF PEOPLE TO AGREE ON ANYTHING IN A POLL.

WE DO HAVE TURNOUT, WE VOTE AT SKY HIGH REASONS, BUT SURELY ONE OF THE REASONS, IN THEIR HEARTS, IN THEIR GUTS, MINNESOTANS KNOW IT'S FUNDAMENTALLY CLEAN AND HONEST THAT DOESN'T MEAN EVERYONE WHO VOTES LOVES EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SYSTEM, I'M NOT SAYING THAT, THERE ARE SOME WHO VOTE WOULD WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING OR SUBTRACT SOMETHING.

BUT AT A BASE LEVEL, WE VOTE IN SKY-HIGH NUMBERS BECAUSE PEOPLE FUNDAMENTALLY KNOW IT'S CLEAN AND HONEST.

>> Cathy: I WONDER, GIVEN ALL OF THE CHURN AROUND AND RHETORIC AROUND ELECTIONS, HOW MUCH PRESSURE DOES THIS PUT ON ELECTION JUDGES AND STAFF?

>> IT DOES PUT SOME PRESSURE ON THEM.

AND WE'VE HAD, THANK GOODNESS, LIMITED EPISODES AND INCIDENTS, IN THE LAST FEW YEARS OF PEOPLE FEELING REALLY THREATENED.

THE GOOD NEWS THERE IS, WE HAVE REALLY GOOD AND REALLY CLEAR LAWS IN MINNESOTA ABOUT POLLING PLACES, WHAT CAN BE THERE, WHO CAN DO WHAT WHEN THEY'RE IN THE POLLING PLACE.

AND THOSE WILL BE A REALLY GOOD SHIELD FOR ANY ELECTION JUDGE OR WOULD-BE ELECTION JUDGE WHO FEELS ANY SENSE OF ANXIETY.

IT TAKES 30,000 PEOPLE, THAT'S A SMALL ARMY TO STEP UP EVERY NOVEMBER AND BE AN ELECTION JUDGE AND WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THAT EXPERIENCE IS SMOOTH AND SOOTHING AND UNEVENTFUL ', LIKE I SAID, HIGH URNOUT, LOW DRAMA.

>> Cathy: I UNDERSTAND TO UNDERSCORE THIS, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST ON MPR, ARE THERE CONTINGENCY PLANS IN PLACE IN CASE SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS AROUND THE ELECTION?

>> YES, WE HAVE AN ALL HAZARDS APPROACH IN OUR OFFICE, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR A LOT OF STUFF THAT MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN.

SO WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE BOMB THREAT, WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE POWER OUTAGE, WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE TORNADO.

WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE MIGHT BE A LAST-MINUTE EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT INTERFERES WITH OUR ELECTIONS.

SO WE'RE ACTIVELY DOING THAT, NOT ONLY WITH OTHER STATES, BUT INTERNALLY, WITH PARTNERS IN MINNESOTA.

YOU GOTTA PLAN FOR THAT STUFF, EVEN IF, AND MAYBE ESPECIALLY IF, THE ODDS ARE LOW THAT IT WILL HAPPEN.

>> Eric: THANKS FOR COMING OVER.