Minnesota Lawyer
Rep. Mary Franson (Staff photo: Peter Bartz Gallagher)
State-mandated recounts will start in two close Minnesota Legislative races on Wednesday.
The State Canvassing Board on Tuesday met and unanimously approved the Nov. 6 election results, with the exception of the House District 8B race and the Senate District 20 race. The margin between candidates in both races was less than one half of 1 percent, which triggered an automatic recount. Both recounts are expected to be completed by Friday.
In House District 8B, freshman Republican incumbent Mary Franson holds an 11-vote lead over DFL challenger Bob Cunniff out of more than 21,000 votes cast. The margin between the candidates was previously only one vote, but a judge ruled last week that there were “obvious” balloting errors made in three Alexandria precincts. Legal remedies called for Douglas County election officials to randomly pull 35 ballots from the total last week, giving Franson an edge.
In Senate District 20, former DFL Sen. Kevin Dahle holds a 78-vote lead over Republican and former FBI agent Mike Dudley. More than 41,000 votes were cast in the Northfield-area Senate district.
The State Canvassing Board is scheduled to reconvene on Dec. 4 to finalize the results.
