Minnesota House race dispute: Missing ballots could change political balance
Legal challenge emerges in Minnesota after discovery of destroyed absentee ballots in tight House race. The outcome might affect power-sharing deal for upcoming legislative session
In a tight-knit political showdown Minnesota Republican Party filed legal papers to re-do a state House election where their candidate lost by just 14 votes; investigators found that staff probably threw away 20 good mail-in votes before counting them
The dispute comes at a critical time - the state House faces a rare even split with both sides working on a power-sharing deal (expecting 67 members for each party). A do-over election could give Republicans a one-seat edge when lawmakers start work next month: this kind of shift would change how laws get made
The case shows how every vote counts in local politics - especially when election staff make mistakes that affect real peoples choices. The destroyed ballots which nobody counted became a key point in this legal fight; investigators say these votes couldʼve changed who won
