Seventeen ballots in Faribault County misidentified the parties for candidates in the State Representative District 23A race, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.
In a statement Friday, Republican incumbent Representative Peggy Bennett said she learned from a supporter that her opponent, Joe Staloch, was labeled as Republican. Staloch filed to run for the house seat as a member of the DFL, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
The Secretary’s Office says they’re “pursuing corrective action through the courts, including instructions for voters who already received and returned an incorrect ballot to ensure their vote is counted correctly.”
According to the Secretary’s Office, each county in the state is responsible for preparing ballots and the Secretary’s Office provides a list of certified candidate names and their political party affiliation to all counties. The Secretary’s Office says that information was provided accurately and on time.
The Secretary’s Office says, “In every election, despite the best efforts of our hard working county election officials, mistakes happen. Our office is thankful for the swift action of Faribault County officials after learning of the error and is committed to partnering with them where appropriate to ensure this mistake is remedied for all impacted voters as soon as possible.
The error is limited to ballots issues by Faribault County and the Secretary’s Office says ballots issued by Freeborn, Steele and Waseca counties accurately list the candidates’ parties.
