Recount likely for Ramsey County board seat race

A candidate for the District 7 Ramsey County Board race will request a recount in a race in which her opponent won by only 28 votes.

With a total of 15,437 votes, Kelly Miller had a lead over Sarah K. Yang, who received 15,409 votes.

Yang said Thursday that she plans to request a recount.

“It was hard to accept that we were 28 votes away, but in that same time, it’s a relief to know that we can do a recount, because there are so many folks who are new to voting that their ballot may have been spoiled, right? And hoping that with a recount for sure, those spoiled votes will also be counted as well,” Yang said.

The race is close enough to call for a publicly-funded recount, county officials said Wednesday. A recount for the district race is estimated to cost $5,000 to $7,000, according to county spokesperson Casper Hill.

Miller, also reached Thursday, said she trusted the election process.

“I trust the thoroughness of Ramsey County,” Miller said. “And, if a recount is requested, then I trust the process that happens with that,” Miller said Thursday.

What’s next

Officials anticipate conducting a recount the week of Nov. 18 following the Nov. 13 county canvassing board meeting and post-election review on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, said county spokesperson Rose Lindsay in an email Wednesday.

A losing county office candidate may request a publicly-funded recount if the difference between votes cast for that candidate and the winning candidate is less than 0.5% of the total votes if there are more than 400 but less than 50,000 votes cast for the office.

After an election, the elections office audits the vote totals reported on election night with the official paper documents certified by election judges on Nov. 5, according to the county. The audited results for a county race are then canvassed by the county canvassing board and requests for a recount can be submitted after this.

Because the race falls within the threshold for a publicly-funded recount, the written request must be filed by 5 p.m. on the seventh day after the canvass of a general election.

Within 24 hours of a recount being requested, the official in charge will send notice to the candidates for the office and include information such as when and where it will happen and the official performing the recount. Recounts are open to the public. Candidates or their representatives can observe the ballots being sorted and counted and can challenge which piles specific ballots are placed in or whether there are identifying marks on the ballot.

Canvassing board reconvenes

Following a recount, the canvassing board reconvenes and a recount official presents the results and any challenged ballots to the board. The candidate who requested a recount or their representative may present the basis for the recount. The board then rules on challenged ballots, which is included in the canvassing report, and certifies the results of the recount.

Yang, who said she is interested in issues like public safety and transportation and helping community members better connect with county resources, plans to stay involved in county work even if the recount does not change the race results.

“If the recount doesn’t go my way, I definitely would love to continue because I truly believe in organizing and doing community work, especially coming from a nonprofit background. I want to make sure that we continue to serve everybody as much as possible,” Yang said.

More information on the recount process can be found at sos.state.mn.us/media/2370/recount-guide.pdf.