Faribault County ballots misprinted, switched parties for state representative race
FARIBAULT COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Ballots in Faribault County's State Representative District 23A race were incorrectly printed, flipping the parties.
What we know
The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State says it is aware of the ballot error. The error incorrectly identifies the candidates' parties on the ballot, showing Republican incumbent Rep. Peggy Bennett running in the DFL party, and her opponent, Joe Staloch, as a Republican. Staloch is running for the house seat in the DFL party.
Bennett said in a press release that she became aware of the mistake after a supporter contacted her and asked when she became a Democrat. That supporter voted Friday morning and voted for the Republican state representative candidate, which listed Staloch.
The secretary's office says the error was limited to 17 ballots in Faribault County. The ballots issued by Freeborn, Steele, and Waseca counties, the rest of State Representative District 23A, have the correct candidates for their parties.
Who prepares the ballots?
The secretary's office says they do not prepare the ballots for counties; each of Minnesota's counties does so. The secretary's office does provide a list of certified candidate names for the counties, and that was provided accurately and on time.
What's next?
Faribault County officers will be correcting the issue through the courts, which includes instructions for voters who already received and returned an incorrect ballot, to make sure their vote is counted correctly.
Early voting
The mistake came on the first day of early voting in Minnesota.