Minnesota

Status of Audit Legislation: 
Signed into law 2004
Link to Text of Legislation: 
Minnesota's law (Section 206.89, "Postelection review of voting systems")
Notes: 

State Summary

 

Signed into law in 2004, Minnesota's statutes refer to their audit as a “postelection review.” The audit is both binding upon the official election results and can lead to a full recount.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all citations below are to Section 206.89 of the Minnesota Revised Statutes, “Postelection Review of Voting Systems”: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=206.89.

Sampling Method: 

2 to 4 precincts per county, or 3% of the precincts, depending on county size. One of the selected precincts from each county must have had more than 150 votes cast.

Trigger: 

If a discrepancy greater than 1/2 of 1% is identified, three more precincts in that jurisdiction and must be audited within 2 days. If the expanded audit reveals a discrepancy greater than 1/2 of 1%, the review must expand to include the entire County. If the County-wide review reveals a discrepancy, and the number of voters in that county comprise at least 10% of voters for the affected race, a race-wide hand count must take place.

Oversight: 
Secretary of State
Who Conducts the Audit?: 
County Election Officials
Location of Random Selection: 
County Canvassing Board
Types of Voting Machines in Use: 
Optical Scan Machines For county by county information see Verified Voting's website: http://www.verifiedvoting.org/verifier/map.php?&topic_string=5std&year=2008&state=Minnesota
Races that are Audited: 
The Gubernatorial, congressional and Senate races. Presidential races when they occur.
Voting Units that are Audited: 
Precincts
Timeline for Audit: 

Must be completed within 7 days of the election

Completed Before Certification?: 

Yes

Absentees, Provisionals and Early Voting: 
They are included as part of a selected precinct, when submitted at a precinct on election day
Do the results of the audit become the official tally?: 
Yes
Is the Audit Publicly Observable?: 
Yes
Local Contact Person: 
Mark Halvorson, CEIMN
Email contact form
Additional Resources: 
Minnesota Statutes - Chapters 204-212 - Elections
Minnesota Administrative Rules - Chapter 8235 - Recounts
Minnesota Secretary of State
Minnesota Audit Info from CEI
Minnesota 2008 Recount Guide