Delayed absentee ballot count in gives DFL larger lead in House 14B race, GOP demands investigation

Some absentee ballots were left uncounted on election night in Sherburne County, which caused an updated vote count in the close Minnesota House of Representatives District 14B race

The additional absentee ballots gave DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott a slightly bigger lead in his race against Republican Sue Ek. 

What we know

Sherburne County election officials found that some absentee ballots received from the U.S. Postal Service were not counted in the unofficial totals uploaded to the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office website on election night.

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office had Wolgamott leading by fewer than 30 votes in the 14B race against Ek. Now Wolgamott leads with 191 votes after the additional ballots were counted, leaving him with 50.36% of the vote compared to Ek's 49.40%. 

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State, a publicly-funded recount for an election for a state legislative office can happen if the results are within 0.5%. Since the new absentee ballots were counted, the 14B race margin is now outside the margin for a publicly-funded recount. 

According to Sherburne County Administrator Bruce Messelt, the delayed upload of the ballots was limited to one scanner and "involved an incomplete transfer of data from that scanner to the state election reporting system." 

What they're saying

Ek said in a statement on her campaign website that she would be seeking a recount, "The election night results at first showed me winning by four votes and then rather suddenly my opponent was up by 28 votes. We will be seeking a recount after the ballots are canvassed. Since nearly 10,000 voters chose me as their candidate I want to ensure whatever the final count is, that it is accurate."

"This is why election results are unofficial until all tabulations and totals are checked and double checked, and the Canvassing Board meets and certifies the election results," said Messelt. "This is also why procedures and multiple checks and balances are in place to identify and correct such challenges, should they arise, in the processing and counting of all cast ballots."

Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota, David Hann, is requesting Simon provide the funds for a recount.

"Every Minnesotan deserves transparency when it comes to our elections. The current discrepancies and additional votes being added to the HD 14B counts in the last few days destroys the trust Minnesotans have in the election process and raises serious questions. Secretary Simon must restore confidence in Minnesota's elections process by calling for and providing funds for a recount in 14B, immediately," Hann said in a statement. 

The Minnesota GOP response on Friday said, "these discrepancies are not only suspect but need to be investigated and explained to Minnesotans immediately."