Three of the four Secretary of state candidates debate elections and voter access.

Minnesota GOP delegates have five different statewide or federal offices to consider at this weekend’s state nominating convention in Rochester.

State Rep. Steve Simon announced on Tuesday that he's running for Secretary of State. The five-term legislator from Hopkins becomes the third DFLer to join the field.

**UPDATED** Dennis Nguyen is seeking the GOP nomination for Secretary of State. The chairman of Shanghai-based investment firm New Asia Partners expects to make an official announcement in September.

Former state Rep. Jeremy Kalin on Tuesday formally announced his 2014 bid for Minnesota secretary of state. Kalin is the third DFLer to enter the race to succeed Mark Ritchie, who isn’t seeking a third term as the state’s chief election officer.

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, the margin needed to trigger an automatic recount. Both recounts are expected to be completed by Friday.

Embattled DFL Rep. Kerry Gauthier shocked nearly everyone in the Minnesota political firmament on Wednesday morning when he announced that he plans to seek reelection to his seat in the state House of Representatives. The announcement came one week after it was publicly reported that Gauthier had been investigated by Duluth police following an incident in which he used a Craigslist ad to meet and have oral sex with a 17-year-old male at an area rest stop.

Secretary of State spokeswoman Pat Turgeon confirmed Wednesday that no races are heading to a recount as of yet. One race got close: North Minneapolis' House District 59B DFL primary featured a slight, 19-point spread between winning candidate Raymond Dehn and second place finisher Terra Cole, but it still fell outside the .5 percent margin of total votes cast to trigger a recount.

Election workers and campaign volunteers huddled up in the Plato building near downtown St. Paul on a rainy afternoon after the holiday weekend, and began their part in the tedious task of reviewing more than 2.1 million ballots statewide.

The Minnesota Secretary of State's office hopes to finish a potential recount in the governor's race by mid December. The office released a proposed time line Friday for the recount.