After Election Day, Minnesota Double-Checks the Results

 

After every statewide election, Minnesota conducts a post-election review (PER) to verify that voting equipment counted ballots accurately. During these public reviews, county canvassing boards randomly select precincts where election judges hand-count paper ballots and compare the totals against machine results.

Across the state, the League of Women Voters (LWV) trains nonpartisan observers to watch these audits and report on the process. In 2024, 160 League observers monitored reviews in 43 of Minnesota’s 87 counties, reporting that officials conducted the counts fairly and followed state law and guidance from the Secretary of State’s Office. This year, the League expanded its efforts, training more than 200 observers across 70 counties.

On Nov. 12, two members of the LWV Park Rapids Area observed the Hubbard County post-election review in the morning, while three other members traveled to Cass County in the afternoon to cover an area without a local League chapter.

In Hubbard County, four courthouse staff members with balanced party affiliations served as election judges. One two-person team counted Election Day ballots, while the other counted absentee and early-voting ballots. Each team sorted ballots by candidate and counted them in stacks of 25. The partners then swapped piles and recounted them to ensure their numbers matched before reporting the totals to the lead election official.

Throughout the morning, the process was professional, transparent, and well-organized. Observers watched the counting teams through a glass wall while seated with the lead election official, who welcomed questions. We discussed local voter turnout, allowable margins of error, and state rules for determining voter intent. Staff members noted that having clear, detailed state procedures left nothing to chance and gave them confidence in the process.
The hand count uncovered only three minor discrepancies between the human count and the machine totals—all of which were quickly located and explained:

• U.S. Senate (Mail-in): The hand count recorded one additional vote and one fewer undervote. Election judges located the ballot and showed observers that the voter had marked an "X" rather than filling in the oval, causing the optical scanner to skip it.
• Congressional District 7 (In-person): The hand count found one additional vote and one fewer undervote due to an incompletely filled oval.
• Governor (Park Rapids Precinct, Mail-in): The hand count again found one additional vote and one fewer undervote where a voter’s mark was too faint or partial for the machine to read.

In each instance, election judges and observers agreed on the voter's clear intent. Seeing the process firsthand confirmed that Minnesota’s post-election checks work as intended, ensuring every valid vote is accurately recorded.

In Cass County, eight election judges with balanced party affiliations served in four two-person teams. Cass County has 43 mail-in precincts and 29 polling places.  Teams counted Election Day ballots, mail in ballots, absentee ballots, and early-voting ballots. Each team sorted ballots by candidate and counted them in stacks of 25. The partners then swapped piles and recounted them to ensure their numbers matched before reporting the totals to the lead election official.

The Cass County hand count found complete accuracy with machine totals.  Observing the Post Election Review process firsthand confirmed that Minnesota’s post-election checks work as intended, ensuring every valid vote is accurately recorded.