The Minnesota Voters Alliance and the Republican Party of Minnesota are asking the court to order Ramsey County to ensure election judges who review absentee ballots this fall equally represent both major political parties.
The organizations filed a legal petition in Ramsey County District Court last week, writing in a press release that they are asking the county to follow state law that requires ballot boards be made up of election judges from lists submitted by each party.
Instead, they say Ramsey County relies on county staff who do not declare party affiliation to perform the job, said Andrew Cilek, executive director of the Minnesota Voters Alliance.
In addition to circumventing the law, the organizations maintain that county employees cannot be impartial when their income is provided by the county.
“We want balanced oversight of the ballots … We think that is a good law and nobody is above the law, including Ramsey County election officials,” Cilek said.
The petition follows similar suits filed by the organizations against Minneapolis and Duluth recently.
Ramsey County did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since filing the petition, Cilek said his organization has received word that Ramsey County has started reaching out to Republican election judges, indicating it is attempting to rectify the situation.
The law the organizations cite was passed in 2010 shortly after the contentious and close 2008 Senate election recount between Al Franken and Norm Coleman, Cilek’s organization noted in its press release.
The race involved 300,000 absentee ballots, 12,000 of which were rejected, the office reports.
It sought to ensure “impartial review” of such ballots and was passed by the Legislature before Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed it into law.
Ramsey County spokesman John Siqveland said the county doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
A hearing is scheduled in the case Aug. 7.