ST. PAUL — Top Republican legislators want an independent review of Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie’s move to allow online voter registration.

In a letter to Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles on Monday, four prominent GOP lawmakers accuse Ritchie of using “dubious authority” to set up the system without explicit legislative permission.

Ritchie’s office points to a law that recognizes electronic records in government.

Last month, Ritchie’s office announced the launch of the system that can be used by new registrants or those looking to update their existing registration. He said it will reduce errors. In seeking the review, the Republicans said they want assurances of data safeguards.

People using the system must present verifiable identification data and they’ll have their applications checked in similar fashion as before.

Nobles didn’t return a message.