Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sherburne County accepts final report on Election Night reporting error; board approves staff reforms and voter-registration safeguards
Summary
After an audit and recounts, the board accepted a final report into an election-night reporting error that affected uploads to the state system. The county outlined immediate fixes, vendor and process changes and reviewed voter-registration processes maintained in the state SVRS system.
Sherburne County commissioners accepted a final report on an election-night reporting error and approved staff'recommended changes to reduce the risk of similar errors in future elections.
County election and administrative staff described an error in the transmission of absentee-batch data to the Minnesota Secretary of State's Election Reporting System (ERS). Staff said the first upload that evening correctly transmitted precinct election-day voting totals, but an upload of absentee batches later contained test data that had not been cleared from a memory card used to transfer scanned absentee batches. That upload produced an incorrect public upload; county staff and the Secretary of State worked to identify and correct the error and reloaded absentee data. The county reported the problem to the Secretary of State and retraced and reprocessed the affected batches.
Audits and recounts followed. Staff said hand counts and the statutory post-election review confirmed the tabulation of ballots and that the on-premises ballot counts (precinct tapes and ballots) were accurate; the error was in the reporting/upload to the state system rather than in the vote counts themselves. The county reported a modest cost to conduct recounts and related procedures.
The board approved staff recommendations to implement these changes: require clearing and an affirmative checklist for memory cards after public accuracy tests; maintain tested backup memory cards and scanning equipment on site; print and cross-check data before upload as part of a QA process; prioritize accuracy over timeliness in reporting; and pursue a state-level "landing page" (sandbox) for ERS uploads so counties can inspect uploaded data in a secure, non-public space before publication. Staff also said they would increase immediate post-election staffing so the first audit and verification steps are completed promptly the day after the election.
The county also reviewed voter-registration procedures in the Minnesota Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). County staff described how registrations are received (paper, driver-and vehicle-services electronic feeds and the state's online application), how monthly maintenance reports (including death and address-change reports) are processed, and upcoming legislative changes: the permanent-absentee checkbox was removed from the standard absentee application (effective Jan. 1, 2026, electronic applications will likewise drop that checkbox) and online absentee requests will require driver's-license or Social Security identification to reduce rejected ballots. Staff said they process registrations and maintenance reports on defined timelines and follow state statute for post-election entry of same-day registrations.
Commissioner Hall moved to accept the final report and its recommended changes; Commissioner Danielowski seconded. The board voted in favor.
Why it matters: the county confirmed ballot counts were accurate but acknowledged a reporting failure that affected public-facing state uploads; board acceptance of corrective measures aims to restore public confidence and reduce operational risk in future elections.
Discussion vs. decision: staff explained findings and process improvements; the board received the report, accepted staff recommendations and directed implementation of procedural and vendor-related changes.
Next steps: staff will implement the memory-card checklist and backup procedures, pursue the Secretary of State landing-page approach, enforce QA printing and cross-checks, and update staffing and vendor expectations for the next election cycle.
