Secretary of State Steve Simon Discusses Elections at New York Mills School

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon visited New York Mills School last week to talk about his role at the state level, elections and civics and to answer questions from the student body, the New York Mills Dispatch reported, with a photo credited to Tucker Henderson capturing the classroom exchange.

The stop in New York Mills was part of a regional outreach that included a Detroit Lakes visit on Friday, February 20, where Simon spent time with Detroit Lakes High School students, the Secretary of State’s office said. Lakes Area Radio published a schedule showing a community conversation at M State in Detroit Lakes Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with soup served beforehand, then a Friday 2 p.m. appearance at the New York Mills auditorium and a later visit to Frazee High School.

Simon has served 11 years as Minnesota’s Secretary of State and has made visiting all 87 counties a priority. “With each visit, I gain new perspectives, insights, and ideas on the challenges and opportunities facing our state. I’m grateful to everyone who has opened their doors and taken the time to meet with me and my team,” he said in a notice about the Detroit Lakes events.

The Secretary of State’s materials distributed for the regional tour stressed practical civic needs: voting in Minnesota is run locally, the office says, and nearly 30,000 residents are needed to staff polling places during a statewide vote. The office also highlighted opportunities for young people — students ages 16 and 17 can serve as paid election judge trainees, receiving training and compensation while gaining firsthand experience in the election process.

Social posts and local coverage noted the topics Simon addressed in classrooms and at public appearances. An Instagram post referenced presentations by Simon that covered election and voting integrity and process, while the New York Mills Dispatch photo caption described him talking about elections and answering student questions.

The New York Mills Dispatch page that carried the Simon visit also included other regional items of local consequence: Otter Tail County Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons announced on social media on Tuesday, Feb. 17, that he will not seek reelection, the paper reported, noting Fitzgibbons is the third sheriff in the region this month to step away from a re-election bid and naming Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander as another who is not seeking a fourth term.

As towns across Otter Tail County plan for upcoming elections, Simon’s classroom visits and the Secretary of State’s outreach materials point to immediate, local consequences — recruitment needs for poll workers and paid training opportunities for 16- and 17-year-old students — that school communities and civic groups can act on in the months ahead.