SAINT PAUL – On Friday, October 18, a Hennepin County contractor left sealed transfer cases containing voted absentee ballot signature envelopes unattended in a vehicle with an open trunk hatch for several minutes in a public parking lot. This incident was photographed and shared widely on social media, prompting a review by Hennepin County. The review determined that no ballots were compromised.
In Minnesota, elections are conducted by local election officials at the county, city, and township level. The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State provides resources, training, and support to these election officials.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement:
“This incident was totally unacceptable. The county has taken appropriate, swift, and transparent action to determine that no ballots were compromised and to ensure this will not happen again.
The county has protocols in place for the delivery of signature envelopes, including security seals on the transfer cases, and verification that all signature envelopes remained sealed. The county has conducted a review to match the number of signature envelopes and verify that each individual ballot was accounted for and corresponded with the records in the State Voter Registration System.
This is a reminder of the resilience of our entire statewide election system and the numerous layers of protection built-in to ensure our elections are free, fair, secure, and accurate.
This is a teachable moment for everyone involved in administering our elections. To that end, our office has lent support to the county in their response to this incident and will continue to be available to support them and all other localities conducting elections. We have issued a bulletin to all localities to remind them again of chain of custody requirements and practices to ensure this incident is not repeated.”
Voters can track the status of their mail or absentee ballot at mnvotes.gov/track.