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Politics and Government News
Clay Masters

Minnesota Republican Party sues Hennepin County over election judges list

man at podium speaks with men behind
Republican Party of Minnesota Chair David Hann speaks to members of the media at a press conference at the Minnesota Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Clay Masters | MPR News

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The Republican Party of Minnesota is part of a lawsuit against Hennepin County regarding the 2024 election and its eventual handling of absentee ballots. 

A state law requires counties to appoint election judges to absentee ballot boards from lists provided by the two major political parties. Republican Party Chair David Hann says Hennepin County did not select any names from their list of 1,500 provided to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office. 

“I don’t know where the fault is,” Hann said at a Wednesday press conference at the Capitol. “Did the secretary of state not provide the list to the county? I don’t know. I assume he did, and why the county didn’t comply with the law. I don’t know that either.” 

Those details should emerge in defendant responses to the lawsuit. Requests for comment from Hennepin County and the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office were not immediately returned. 

The petition was filed in conjunction with the Minnesota Voters Alliance, a conservative organization that often sues over election matters. It asks the state Supreme Court to require that Hennepin County create party balance on election absentee ballot boards. 

“Obviously, we're in the middle of absentee ballot season, and we want this to be fixed as quickly as possible,” said James Dickey, an attorney with the Upper Midwest Law Center, which represents Minnesota Voters Alliance and individual petitioners who are election judges in Hennepin County. 

The current absentee ballot process grew out of a close 2008 Senate race that resulted in a protracted recount and court case. Democratic candidate Al Franken wound up beating Republican Sen. Norm Coleman by 312 votes out of about 3 million cast. 

The absentee process was a focus of the litigation and the Legislature passed new laws to bring some uniformity to the way absentee ballots get reviewed.

The state’s highest court tends to move quickly in election-related cases.