Hennepin County
Ramsey and Hennepin Counties are taking very different approaches to the gubernatorial recount and it’s creating some strong reactions. In Minneapolis, Elections Director Rachel Smith considered adding tables and time to the schedule so the county could try to finish with the rest of the state by Friday.
The State Republican Party cried foul saying “Instead of serving as a neutral referee like Ramsey County Elections Manager Joe Mansky, Smith has repeatedly inserted herself into the action by siding with the Dayton campaign on a host of issues, including her attempt today to arbitrarily change the recount schedule.” Smith said the GOP threatened to take her to court so she decided it wasn’t worth trying to change anything.
In St. Paul, the tone was incredibly relaxed. The biggest buzz was created by a ballot with a vote for Bob Dylan. In Ramsey County our cameras were allowed right up to the tables to see the ballots and conversations over challenges up close. In Hennepin County the tables were roped off and we were only allowed to view the process at a distance. Mansky is sending all of Ramsey County’s challenged ballots on to the State Canvassing Board because “frivolous is in the eye of the beholder.” He told us this issue of frivolous ballot challenges should be clarified by the upcoming legislature.
