Meet Steve Simon
Minnesota’s Secretary of State
Minnesota Pride
Steve Simon’s Minnesota roots and values run deep, and they inspire his commitment to the freedom to vote. His grandfather was born in Eveleth to Jewish immigrants who fled persecution in Lithuania – where they lacked the basic right to choose who governed them. They ran a dry goods store in Hill City before moving to St. Paul.
His father Ron, an Army veteran whose health challenges late in his life made in-person voting difficult, was a renowned sports attorney who represented Minnesota athletic greats such as Kent Hrbek, Paul Molitor, Neal Broten, and Kevin McHale. Steve’s mother, Marlen, was an immigrant from Austria; a vibrant entrepreneur and community volunteer who died much too young of cancer.
Steve lives in Hopkins with his wife Leia, a business marketing consultant whose family hails from southwestern Minnesota, along with their two young children, Hannah and Noah, plus several dogs and cats.
Making a Difference
Steve’s family taught him to work hard, look out for others, and try to be part of something bigger than himself. Those core values have stuck with him his entire life. After graduating from law school at the University of Minnesota, he went to work as an Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota, with a focus on consumer protection and education issues, and he later worked in private practice.
In 2004, Steve was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he earned a reputation as a hard worker and strong advocate. He served as Chair of the House Elections Committee and helped lead the fight against the harsh Voter ID amendment that would have made Minnesota the most restrictive state in the country. Steve authored the groundbreaking “No-Excuses” Absentee Voting law, which allows Minnesotans to vote from the comfort of their own home for any reason. He also authored the law that now allows online voter registration in Minnesota.
With Steve’s leadership, Minnesota has led the nation in voter turnout for the past three elections in a row. Moving forward, his top priorities are to defend our democracy, strengthen the freedom to vote for all eligible Minnesotans, push back against dangerous disinformation about our elections, provide support for small businesses, and enhance security protections for our most vulnerable.
A Secretary of State for All
The day he took office Steve Simon said he wanted to be a Secretary of State for all Minnesotans, and that’s exactly what he’s done. Steve knows he can’t do his job well just by sitting behind a desk in St. Paul, which is why he’s constantly traveling the state, regularly visiting all 87 Minnesota counties, soliciting ideas about how to make our election system even better, listening to the concerns of small businesses, and trying to improve the lives of all Minnesota families.
Steve knows the best way to improve our democracy is to find common ground and work together. He successfully worked across the aisle with Republicans and Democrats to get good things done, like securing equal voting rights for all members of our National Guard, ensuring voters can get time off from work to vote in all regularly scheduled elections, and strengthening the Secretary of State’s Safe at Home program - which helps protect domestic abuse victims and others who fear for their safety.