Minnesota Supreme Court denies Mike Lindell’s recount request

The Minnesota Supreme Court has denied a request by Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell to force a statewide recount of the primary election under his specific terms. Lindell, who lost the party nomination to Lisa Demuth, had challenged the state’s recount process, alleging irregularities in election reporting data.

In a six-page ruling signed by Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, the court determined that the state’s approved recount plan is lawful. The justices noted that Lindell’s arguments regarding alleged anomalies “confuse” the legal purpose of a manual recount, which is intended to ensure votes are accurately counted, with an election contest, which addresses irregularities in the conduct of an election.

The court clarified that the state is within its legal rights to limit the scope of the recount. Lindell had failed to meet the deadline to submit an $825,000 deposit required for a statewide hand recount. Following the ruling, Lindell indicated plans to appeal the decision to the United States Supreme Court.