CROW WING COUNTY — On Nov. 21, Crow Wing County election officials conducted post election reviews of election results of the Nov. 8 election to boost transparency in the election system.
Minnesota counties are required to administer a post election review between 11 and 18 days after each general election to confirm the accuracy of results ahead of the state certification.
These events are open to the public. The review is a hand count of the ballots for the U.S. representative and governor’s races in select precincts.
In each county, a certain number of precincts are randomly selected at the county canvass. The ballots from those precincts are then hand counted to make sure that the results the voting machines reported on Election Day are an accurate reflection of the marked ballots.
Results must meet the acceptable performance standards outlined in statute; otherwise, additional precincts must be reviewed.
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“Post election reviews are an additional layer of security to ensure our elections are free, fair and accurate. It’s a great tool to show transparency and assure confidence and security of our elections. The best part about this procedure is that it allows for members of all interested parties to be involved in the process,” Crow Wing County Administrative Services Director Deborah Erickson said in a news release.
Minnesota law requires counties with under 50,000 registered voters to audit at least two precincts. The Crow Wing County Board determined that four of the 62 precincts in Crow Wing would be audited. The four precincts were randomly selected at the county canvassing board meeting Nov. 17.
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