League of Women Voters: Carver County post‑election review matched machine counts; statewide observers report mostly transparent audits

Representatives of the League of Women Voters presented findings from Minnesota’s 2024 post‑election reviews and described observer experiences in Carver County and elsewhere in the state.

The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and local Eastern Carver County volunteers said trained, nonpartisan observers watched post‑election hand counts in 43 of Minnesota’s 87 counties; in Carver County the audit covered three precincts and the hand counts matched the machine totals exactly.

Key findings for Carver County Sarah Carlson, speaking for the Eastern Carver County League, said five trained observers documented the Carver County review. The observers reported that the counties’ post‑election reviews followed established procedures, staff worked “professionally and thoroughly,” and no outside disruptions occurred during the day.

Sam Strzokens, the League’s civic engagement director, summarized the program’s intent and methods: observers were trained, county canvassing boards randomly select precincts for the audit, and bipartisan teams of election judges hand‑count ballots for the selected races before comparing those results to machine tabulation.

Numbers and scope The League’s presentation said 160 League volunteers participated statewide and that 43 counties hosted observers. In Carver County, the three precincts reviewed were Watertown, Norwood Young America and Chaska Ward 2; teams hand‑counted 5,182 ballots for the audited federal races and the hand counts matched the machine counts.

Statewide observations and exceptions Presenters emphasized that most counties conducted the reviews transparently. The League noted two counties that faced substantive questions after the 2024 election: Sherburne County, where the county administrator cited an uncleared memory card as a reporting error, and Scott County, where newspaper and court filings describe absentee ballots inadvertently discarded before being counted in Shakopee. The League’s presentation directed listeners to the secretary of state’s website and published reports for precinct‑level results and additional detail.

Anecdote from Wright County Laura Helmer, president of the League of Women Voters Minnesota, described a Wright County observation where a set of 13 absentee ballots was found in a different precinct’s box after multiple recounts. Her account illustrated how the hand‑count process and subsequent searches can resolve discrepancies.

County staff and board response Carver County commissioners and staff praised local election officials. County election staff described routine checks and flagging that prevent fraudulent registrations from producing ballots; staff said flagged records are investigated and that no ballots were issued for the suspect registration attempts referenced later in the meeting.

Quotes “I’m representing today the League of Women Voters of Eastern Carver County,” Sarah Carlson said at the start of the presentation.

Sam Strzokens said the League’s observers “attended a training session ... and agreed to a code of conduct” before observing post‑election reviews.

Laura Helmer summarized her observation experience in Wright County: after exhaustive recounts and box searches, the missing ballots “were found clipped together in Buffalo Precinct 4 Box” and returned to the correct precinct for counting.

What wasn’t resolved here The League noted special cases in other counties where reporting or handling raised questions and referenced court filings and county administrator explanations for those situations. The Carver County report did not identify any hand‑count discrepancies in the precincts observers reviewed.

Where to find the full report Presenters said a full League report was distributed to the board and is available online; they also encouraged use of the secretary of state’s website for precinct‑level post‑election review results and verification details.