Minnesota elections not over yet as recounts, reviews continue
After every statewide election in Minnesota, election officials gather to review the results by doing hand recounts in randomly selected precincts. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says it’s a way to instill confidence that the vote counts are accurate.
“These required reviews are happening right now across the state in all 87 counties,” Simon said at the Hennepin County Election Center, where 12 of 397 precincts were being spot checked by election judges.
In two other counties, recounts will be held in legislative districts where control of the Minnesota House will be at stake.
In Scott County, Democratic incumbent Rep. Brad Tabke leads Republican challenger Aaron Paul by 14 votes, within the margin to trigger an automatic taxpayer-funded recount.
In Sherburne County, Democratic incumbent Rep. Dan Wolgamott leads Republican Sue Ek by 191 voters. That’s outside the margin for an automatic recount, but because of questions about the way results were reported on election night that at one point showed Ek leading with 100% of precincts reporting, the county will pay for a hand recount. Election officials say a tabulating error in an election scanner caused confusion on election night.
The Scott County recount is Thursday and the Sherburne County recount will take place next Monday.
Full Minnesota election results can be viewed on the Secretary of State’s website.
Also Monday, Simon addressed the case of a chief election judge in Hubbard County charged with two felonies for allegedly allowing 11 voters to cast votes without registering. Timothy Scouton, 64, of Nevis, Minnesota, faces up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines for each count.
“We have 30,000 election judges — 99.999% of them do their jobs well, legally, conscientiously, thoroughly,” Simon says. “But you’re going to have, just based on the law of averages, someone who does a bad thing, does the wrong thing. Fortunately, this is an example of the resiliency and accuracy of the system because it was caught.
Scouton makes his next court appearance on Jan. 6.