Conservative Minnesota State Senator Michael Holmstrom Jr. is being criticized for his push to pass the SAVE Act. With a skull and crossbones emoji, Holmstrom wrote on Thursday on social media: “MN Senate Democrats just voted unanimously to OPPOSE removing dead people from the MN voter rolls. It’s time to pass the SAVE America Act.”
[NOTE: The SAVE Act is a federal bill that would fundamentally change how Americans register to vote. Versions have passed the House of Representatives multiple times since 2024, including most recently in February 2026, and it is being debated in the Senate this week.]
Micah Erfan, a political social media influencer and law student at the University of Virginia, replied to Holmstrom: “Keeping deceased voters marked as inactive/deceased on the rolls — as Minnesota does — actually prevents fraud. An inactive record blocks someone from re-registering under the deceased person’s identity and voting.”
Keeping deceased voters marked as inactive/deceased on the rolls — as Minnesota does — actually prevents fraud.
An inactive record blocks someone from re-registering under the deceased person’s identity and voting. https://t.co/q1i3cIE1aR
— Micah Erfan (@micah_erfan) April 23, 2026
Max Hailperin, professor emeritus of mathematics, computer science, and statistics at Gustavus Adolphus College, who specializes in the intersection between election technology and election policy, agreed with Erfan.
As seen below, in March, Hailperin explained the difference between removing a deceased person’s voting record and archiving it to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Exactly. https://t.co/1MhLOHistz
— Max Hailperin (@MaxHailperin) April 23, 2026
Hailperin added: “The Minnesota Senate hosted a cheap political stunt to make the more responsible members vote down ‘removing deceased voters.’ What that really would have done was remove the archival record of a past registration, not a current registration. As I previously explained.”