MVA and MN GOP File Petition Demanding Rochester Comply with Election Judge Law

On Wednesday, July 22, 2020, the Minnesota Voters Alliance (MVA), Republican Party of Minnesota (RPM), State Representative Duane Quam, and several election judges have filed a petition for a Writ of Mandamus against Olmsted County in Olmsted County District Court to order them to follow the laws regarding appointments to the absentee ballot boards for this November's elections.

The petition filed in Olmsted County follows one filed on July 15 with the St. Louis County District Court regarding the City of Duluth and one filed on July 2 regarding the City of Minneapolis. Like Duluth and Minneapolis, the City of Rochester has used city clerk employees for years to do the critical function of examining absentee ballot envelopes and deciding which ones are to be rejected and which are accepted.

Minnesota law, however, requires the ballot board to be comprised of election judges from lists submitted by the major political parties. The petition contends that both cities ignore the law, use insiders to accept and reject ballots, and avoid any outside scrutiny over its handling of mailed-in ballots.

In a parallel development, the City of Minneapolis has filed a motion to the Minnesota Supreme Court to consolidate all four of our cases. The high court is expected to soon assign a judge, presumably from Ramsey County, or even a retired judge, to hear the case in an expedited manner.

For more details about the MVA and MN GOP petitions, read our article “MVA and MN GOP Demand Compliance with Election Judge Law” posted July 20 on our website.