Scott County responds to allegation of duplicate votes in tight House race

Two legislators say 30 voters were recorded as voting twice in the Nov. 5 election; Scott County says that isn't true.

House
A "vote here" sign pictured outside of a polling place in St. Paul in November 2021. (Shutterstock)

Two Minnesota lawmakers are making their demands for a new election in Minnesota House District 54A even louder, following what they say are more revelations of voter irregularities in the election.

Minnesota Reps. Pam Altendorf, R-Red Wing, and Tom Murphy, R-Underwood, say data from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s “Registered Voter List” indicates 30 voters in the district were recorded as voting twice.

The race in Shakopee, where Republican Aaron Paul trails Democrat incumbent Brad Tabke by just 14 votes, is already the subject of ongoing litigation over 20 missing ballots.

According to Scott County officials, the 20 missing ballots were likely discarded due to human error during the early absentee voting process and are not expected to be recovered.

A judge is expected to rule in the coming days on whether another election will be granted based on the 20 tossed-out ballots.

Rep. Altendorf calls for immediate accountability

Speaking to Alpha News, Altendorf called the situation “absolutely unacceptable.”

“In a race that the Democrats supposedly won by 14 votes, we have 20 missing ballots, which Scott County admitted to, and now we’ve verified through the Secretary of State that there were 30 double voters,” said Altendorf, who was recently named vice chair of the House Elections Committee.

Altendorf says she consulted with two data analysts and two lawyers to review the voter data. “Everyone confirms there are 30 voters in the data who have voted twice,” she told Alpha News on Monday.

Altendorf also emphasized the broader implications for public trust in elections.

“We’re litigating this case, and we want the judge to overturn this election,” Altendorf said. “But we also need to make a case in the public’s eye so they understand we have real concerns and real problems within our election system that we must figure out and fix.”

Altendorf and Murphy called on Secretary of State Steve Simon to take immediate action.

“Minnesota voters deserve complete transparency, accountability, and an accurate outcome. Election integrity and voter anonymity are of the utmost importance. The only reasonable option is to call for a special election to determine the people’s choice for District 54A,” Murphy said in a press release.

“There are so many questions mounting that our secretary of state, Steve Simon, has no choice but to call for a new election to regain trust in the public’s eye,” added Altendorf.

Scott County responds 

Following inquiries from Alpha News, Scott County released a lengthy statement Tuesday saying that “there were no duplicate ballots cast or recorded in District 54A.”

“The erroneous contention that there was any evidence of ‘duplicate voting’ in District 54A seems to have been based in a misunderstanding of the difference between voter history reports and the official voter record,” said Scott County Administrator Lezlie Vermillion.

The county said it ran a “duplication report” immediately after the election and “found no duplications.”

“As part of the post-election administrative procedures, if any voter information (e.g., birthdate, address, correct spelling of a name, a name change, et cetera) needs to be updated, the information must be hand-keyed into the Voter Registration System. Approximately 3,000 of these records needed to be entered post-election in Scott County. Thirty of these records were entered not knowing the voters would already receive voter history through the roster closing process, resulting in a duplication of voter history. Simply stated, this error created a duplicate voter history but had no impact on the official voter record,” the county said.

Reps. Pam Altendorf, R-Red Wing, and Tom Murphy, R-Underwood, say data from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s “Registered Voter List” indicates 30 voters in the district were recorded as voting twice.

Altendorf, however, believes the county’s statement raises “more questions than answers.”

“We have secretary of state data that was the official data that came that showed duplicate ballots. It’s nice that Scott County is putting out a statement trying to calm people, saying that there are no duplicate ballots, but my question would be: why are they changing this data after the Dec. 17 deadline?” Altendorf said in a video posted on social media Tuesday night.

Alpha News reached out to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office earlier in the week for comment on the situation. A spokesperson responded by pointing to county-level responsibilities in the election process.

“It’s my understanding that Scott County officials are looking into this data, and you should contact their office with any questions,” a representative from the Secretary of State’s Office said.

The office also noted the timeline and legal requirements for counties to update voter records. “As a reminder, under state law, county governments have six weeks after Election Day to update records and submit that data to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State,” the office said, adding that state law mandates county auditors and municipal clerks to refer evidence of voting crimes to law enforcement, who are required to investigate them immediately.

The results of litigation in the 54A race will have major ramifications for the makeup of the Minnesota House. Republicans will begin the 2025 legislative session with a one-seat advantage, which will allow them to elect a speaker. However, if Republicans fail to secure a new election in District 54A, then the composition of the House will likely revert to a 67-67 tie following a Jan. 28 special election in a blue district.

“We are reviewing all options as we wait for a court ruling in the election contest in 54A in hopes of securing a new election and to protect the integrity of the vote,” said a spokesperson for the House Republican Caucus. “In 2025 House Republicans will pursue a number of election law changes aimed at addressing the numerous failures, data discrepancies, ballot misprints, and more during the 2024 cycle.”

 

Jenna Gloeb

Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.