Mower County election officials to hold post-election reviews of mid-term election results

Mower County election officials will conduct post–election reviews of election results on Monday, November 21st to boost transparency in the election system.

Mower County Auditor/Treasurer Scott Felten stated in a news release that Minnesota counties are required to administer a post–election review (PER) between 11 and 18 days after each general election to confirm the accuracy of results ahead of the state certification.  Felten stated that these events are open to members of the public. The review is a hand count of the ballots for the U.S. Representative and Minnesota Governor races in select precincts.

The PER for Mower County will be held beginning at 10:00 a.m. on November 21st in the Ballroom/Vault conference rooms in the Mower County Government Center located at 201 1st Street NE in downtown Austin. 

Felten stated that post-election reviews are one layer of security to ensure elections are free, fair, secure, and accurate. In each county, Felten noted that a certain number of precincts are randomly selected at the county canvass. The ballots from those precincts are then hand counted to make sure that the results the voting machines reported on Election Day are an accurate reflection of the marked ballots.  Felten went on to state that the results must meet the acceptable performance standards outlined in statute; otherwise, additional precincts must be reviewed.