A preliminary investigation into the disappearance of 21 ballots in the slim Minnesota House District 54A race has revealed that the ballots were thrown away while still in secret envelopes.
The race, which includes Shakopee and parts of Scott County, was decided by just 14 votes, making it the Republican majority in the Minnesota State House.
The City of Shakopee holds early voting from September 20 to November 4, 2024. During that period, two voting methods are used:
- Envelope voting: Voters submit their ballots in a security and signature envelope.
- Direct Voting: Starting October 18, voters can directly scan their ballots.
On election night, discrepancies in the count of absentee ballots were seen. By November 7, Scott County staff identified a discrepancy of 21 ballots between the two precincts, with P10 showing the most significant problem: 329 voters were checked, but only 309 ballots were reported and processed.
The missing ballots were identified during the November 7 audit when district staff discovered 20 ballot records linked to Precinct 10 and one to Precinct 12A.
Although it is not uncommon for voters to check in but not cast a ballot, the difference in Precinct 12A was considered insignificant and was not investigated further. The report focuses on irregularities in the 10th Precinct, according to Fox 9.
The Scott County Prosecutor’s Office released a statement this week outlining the investigation’s findings.
County Attorney Ron Hocevar acknowledged that “human error” in the processing of absentee ballots in Shakopee may have caused the ballots to be thrown out.
“The preliminary investigation into the discrepancy of the 21 ballots has not been conclusive so far, and appears to be the result of human error that occurred during the initial ballot collection in the City of Shakopee. This unfortunate situation has caused a level of confusion that should not have occurred,” said Attorney General Ron Hocevar.
“In the interest of full transparency, we have included a link to the information provided to the attorneys for both candidates this morning. Please note that the investigation is ongoing and hopefully more information will be forthcoming.
Even if efforts are made to recover envelopes from recycling facilities and landfills, the materials may have been degraded.
“A request to the City for confidential envelopes, and the County advised them to be thrown into the trash. The County tracked the trash and recycling to their respective landfills in Burnsville and DemCon, but found out that the recycling hall had been sent for shredding,” according to the initial report.
Key findings from the Investigation:
- The 20 absentee ballots in P10 were correctly accepted for counting on October 17 and must be counted;
- These ballots are ballots that are not counted;
- The ballots were most likely never removed from the secret envelope;
- The ballots are likely to be in the secret envelope when the secret envelope is thrown away;
- Those ballots most likely will not return; and
- Although 20 ballots have been found, it cannot be proven that the chains were kept to ensure they were not tampered with.
The revelation prompted House Republicans to take decisive action.
WATCH:
BREAKING: 21 missing votes “likely to be thrown out” in Scott County, Minnesota.
Rep. Tabke (D) won here by only.
This race cost the Republican majority in Minnesota’s State House. pic.twitter.com/DnOqol17LW
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 27, 2024
“Today’s news underscores why we will work hard to contest the election to protect the integrity of the vote in District 54A with a new election,” said House Republican Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring).
“With 20 ballots missing and confirmation from Scott County that they will likely not return, it is impossible to declare a winner with a margin of 14 votes. We appreciate Scott County’s efforts to investigate this matter and be transparent about the findings.
Read the report below via Fox 9:
