Background of Dispute
Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow, is currently withholding payment for a recount and audit of ballots from the Republican primary for Minnesota governor. He alleges the Secretary of State’s office proposed an unlawful recount process. Lindell finished second to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth according to current results.
Details of the Recount Request
On Wednesday, Lindell announced he would personally finance the recount. The Secretary of State General Counsel, Lauren Bethke, established Monday as the deadline for Lindell’s request submission. Although Lindell’s campaign indicated readiness to pay the $825,000 fee to cover recount costs, payment has not been made due to disputes over the recount’s scope.
Campaign’s Argument and Legal Standings
The campaign asserts that state officials plan to recount only Lindell and Demuth’s votes, excluding other candidates, which allegedly breaches Minnesota law. The law defines recount as determining “the number of votes validly cast for the office or question to be recounted.” Lindell seeks a payment deadline waiver until a court rules on the recount’s parameters.
State’s Response and Recount Plan
In response, Cassondra Knudson, spokesperson for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, stated that the office provided Lindell the recount plan after State Canvassing Board approval. She assured the plan aligns with state laws and administrative recount procedures consistent with past two decades of precedent.
The plan details a statewide hand recount open to public and media, overseen by Paul Linnell, the office’s director of elections, who will appoint deputy officials. No official fraud or irregularity has been found in Minnesota primary results.
Recount Proceedings and Legal Requirements
On Aug. 11, Lindell emphasized to reporters that he would not concede until every vote was counted, citing “anomalies” his team needed to review, though he provided no evidence. Minnesota law requires “an apparent losing candidate must submit a request for a discretionary recount along with the funds to cover the cost of the recount within five days of the canvass of a primary election.”
Upcoming Election
In the primary, Demuth received 179,683 votes, while Lindell garnered 134,282 votes. The Republican nominee is set to compete against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the Nov. 3 general election following Gov. Tim Walz’s retirement.