SHAKOPEE, Minn. – Scott County officials say the absentee 21 ballots missing from a Shakopee precinct were likely thrown away before being tabulated and will likely not be recovered.
A preliminary report from the county says the ballots were in secrecy envelopes after being removed from signature envelopes. Around 12:20 AM November 6, the day after Election Day, City of Shakopee staff confirmed the total of scanned ballots matched the amount they should have reported. During a normal audit the next day, county staff found there was a 21 ballot discrepancy between two precincts.
The Republican Party of Minnesota says it will challenge the results of the Shakopee area State House race that was certified Monday. DFL State Representative Brad Tabke beat Republican Aaron Paul by 14 votes. Republican House Speaker-Designate Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring called Tabke’s declaration of victory last Friday irresponsible since 21 ballots are missing.
The House will be evenly split between the DFLers and Republicans at 67 if the challenge is unsuccessful.
Minnesota’s Republican members of Congress, including Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach, sent a letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon wanting answers over what happened to those missing ballots.
Click here to see Scott County’s preliminary investigation into the missing ballots.
