Minnesota Secretary Of State - Post-election reviews
Skip to main content

Post-election reviews


Post-election Review of Voting Systems

Minnesota Statutes 206.89 states that after every state general election, Minnesota counties perform a post-election review of election results returned by the optical scan ballot counters used in the state.  The review is a hand count of the ballots for each eligible election (U.S. President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and Governor) in the selected precincts compared with the results from the voting system used in those precincts.

Selection process

At the canvass of the state primary, the county canvassing board (the board that certifies federal, state and county election results in that county) in each county must set the date, time, and place for the post-election review of the general election, and notify the Secretary of State.

At the canvass of the state general election, the county canvassing boards must randomly select the precincts to be reviewed, and notify the Secretary of State.

  • In a county with fewer than 50,000 registered voters, the county canvassing board must conduct a post-election review of a total of at least 2 precincts.
  • In a county with between 50,000 and 100,000 registered voters, the county canvassing board must conduct a review of a total of at least 3 precincts.
  • The county canvassing board of a county with more than 100,000 registered voters must conduct a review of a total of at least 4 precincts, or three percent of the total number of precincts in the county, whichever is greater.

At least one precinct selected in each county must have had more than 150 votes cast at the general election.

The county auditor must notify the Secretary of State of the precincts chosen for review, along with the time and place the review will be conducted as soon as the decisions are made.

2024 Post-Election Reviews

For 2024, the post-election review is mandated for the election for U.S. President, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Representative. The dates and locations for each county's post-election review are in the following linked spreadsheet.

2024 Post-Election Review Dates and Locations (.xlsx)

2022 Post-Election Reviews

For 2022, the post-election review is mandated for the election for U.S. Representative and Minnesota Governor. The dates and locations for each county's post-election review, precincts selected for review, and review results for the required offices are in the following linked spreadsheets.

2022 Post-Election Review Dates and Locations (.xlsx)

2022 Post-Election Review Precincts (.xlsx)

2022 Post-Election Review Results (.xlsx)

2022 Post-Election Review Results (.pdf)

2020 Post-Election Reviews

For 2020, the post-election review is mandated for the election for U.S. President, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Representative. The dates and locations for each county's post-election review, and review results for the required offices are in the following linked spreadsheets.

2020 Post-Election Review Dates and Locations (.xlsx)

2020 Post-Election Review Results (.xlsx)

2020 Post-Election Review Results (.pdf)

Post-Election Performance Review

The Secretary of State must monitor and evaluate election procedures in the precincts audited in the post-election review. At least four precincts in each congressional district must be reviewed. The precincts must be chosen by lot by the State Canvassing Board at its meeting to canvass the state general election. (Minnesota Statutes 206.895)