(Dana Ferguson – Clay Masters – MPRnews) – Election officials in Scott County began a recount on Thursday in a narrowly divided legislative contest that could determine power in the Minnesota House. State Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, currently led Republican challenger Aaron Paul by 14 votes going into the recount.
Republicans would win the House Majority if the vote tally flips in the House District 54A race or in another legislative contest in Sherburne County. If Democrats win both races, Republicans and Democrats will each control 67 seats and be forced to share control of the legislative body.
Paul, a candidate in the Shakopee area, and Sue Ek, a Republican running in a district near St. Cloud, have sought hand recounts to verify that ballots were counted accurately.
Scott County election officials started the publicly funded recount on Thursday morning and said an investigation was still ongoing into 21 cases where voters checked in to receive an absentee ballot, but corresponding absentee ballots weren’t found during the canvassing process.
Scott County Elections Manager Julie Hanson said those ballots wouldn’t be part of the recount. She also noted that election judges were moving forward as required by statute even though the state spotlight on the race made it a more closely watched contest.
“I can only care about the true and correct, accurate outcome,” Hanson told reporters. “Of course, we hear a lot of the interest, and I definitely understand that, but I’ve had to set that aside, and we just need to get to the proper outcome.”
An unofficial result is expected later Thursday. That will be certified on Monday by the Scott County Canvassing Board and a candidate could contest the outcome to the courts within seven days.
Sherburne County will hold its recount between Ek and Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, on Monday.
While the recounts could change partisan control, legislative leaders are preparing for a tie. They said this week that they would evenly split control of House committees and each panel would be chaired by one Republican and one Democrat. Leaders Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said Thursday that they were still in talks to determine who would become Speaker of the House.
The Minnesota Constitution says only one person can hold the role of House speaker at a time. Hortman and Demuth said they’re confident that they can work out a power-sharing agreement but didn’t offer details Thursday about what that might look like.
“All the way through on everything, we are equally in power,” Demuth told reporters at the Capitol.
Both legislative leaders said they’ll focus on the “basics” since a divided government could limit what they’re able to pass in 2025. Democrats hold a one-seat advantage in the Senate and control of the governor’s office.
Minnesota lawmakers are required to pass a two-year state budget before July to avoid a state government shutdown. They may also consider a public construction project bill.
Gov. Tim Walz said he’s optimistic lawmakers will be able to cooperate because they did it during his first term as governor.
“I think we’ve proven that we can do it before,” Walz told reporters. “I think if we can get back to the model that we were able to do in 2019, we got quite a bit done.”
The Minnesota State Canvassing Board is also set to meet Thursday to review and certify results of the 2024 election. The five-person panel will convene on the Capitol complex and review results of the statewide canvass report before approving them.
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