Absentee ballots in late count push DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott to larger lead in House 14B race

ST. CLOUD – An updated vote count in the House 14B race has widened the gap between DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott and Republican challenger Sue Ek.

The updated totals come after Sherburne County election staff identified absentee ballots received by the U.S. Postal Service that weren’t included in the unofficial totals uploaded to the Minnesota Secretary of State website on election night, according to a statement issued Thursday night by Sherburne County Administrator Bruce Messelt.

Messelt said the delayed upload was limited to one ballot scanner and “involved an incomplete transfer of data from that scanner to the state election reporting system.”

“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,” Messelt said in the release. “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.”

On Wednesday morning, the Secretary of State’s Office showed Wolgamott had a 28-vote lead over Ek. The updated results show a difference of 191 votes; Wolgamott now has 50.36% of the vote and Ek has 49.4%.

The county’s canvassing board is scheduled to meet Tuesday.

For legislative races, taxpayer-funded recounts occur when the results are within 0.5 percentage points of the total votes cast. The 14B race is now outside that margin, but Ek could pay for a recount. She did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but said Wednesday that she was looking forward to a recount.

“Over 9,000 voters voted for me,” Ek said Wednesday. “It’s only fair to them that we are confirmed in the results.”

On Friday, Minnesota Republican Party Chair David Hann called for the Secretary of State’s Office to investigate the results of the 14B race and provide funds for a recount.

“Every Minnesotan deserves transparency when it comes to our elections,” Hann said in a release. “The current discrepancies and additional votes being added to the [race] in the last few days destroys the trust Minnesotans have in the election process and raises serious questions.”

On Friday, Wolgamott reiterated a previous statement declaring victory in the race and thanking voters for electing him to a fourth term: “I’m ready to continue my record of standing up for police and first responders, defending reproductive freedom, and working with both sides of the aisle to get things done for St. Cloud.”

The Minnesota House was evenly split 67-67 after Election Day, though Republicans were also looking to a Shakopee race.

The Secretary of State’s office shows DFL Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee with a 13-vote lead over Republican Aaron Paul in District 54A. That margin is close enough to trigger a taxpayer-funded recount. If Republicans were to prevail in either race, the GOP would take control of the House.

The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office stood by local election officials’ “excellent” statewide general election process, in a statement Friday.

“Our state’s strong and comprehensive laws on election administration guide these officials in their duty to make sure every eligibly cast vote is counted, and the voice of Minnesotans at the ballot box is reflected accurately in the election results. This includes rigorous post-election processes designed to identify potential discrepancies and correct them before the results are certified as official. ...

“The process for recounts, including payment of costs, is clearly defined in state law. It is a process that takes place for multi-county jurisdictions only after official results are certified, first at the county level and then at the state canvassing board meeting on November 21st,” the statement said.