Lawsuit filed against Olmsted County for absentee ballot review board appointment practices

The MVA says the county is using its employees to serve in these positions, and it's a conflict of interests when election judges are rejecting ballots.

On kimt dot com./// we're about three months out from election day.

Now olmsted county is being sued for the way it appoints members to the absentee ballot review board.

Kimt news 3's annalise johnson spoke to the organization filing the complaint.

She joins us live now ?

"* annalise?xxx calyn ?

"* i'm here outside the olmsted county government center.

The county is being sued by the minnesota voters association ?

"* the republican party of minnesota ?

"* state representative duane quam ?

"* and some election judges.

They claim olmsted county is in violation of this state statute ?

"* which requires thee to be a balance of election judges belonging to the two major political parties on the absentee ballot review board.

They say the county uses its employees to serve in these positions ?

"* and its a conflit of interests when election judges are rejecting ballots.

The voters association says using a balanced number of election judges affiliated with political parties ensures that any one?

"*sided biases in rejecting ballots are reduced.

I spoke to the director of the minnesota voters association ?*- and the lawyer representing them in this case.xxx once somebody works for the city or the county, they cant be viewed as unbiased anymore because their employers tells them what to do whereas you have election judges that were submitted by the political party, then you're gonna have party balance and real citizen oversight."

It says appoint democrat and republican election judges and they say oh our staff will do.

Whats going on in olmsted county?

Why do we have this type of illegality by the county board?

Why is the county staff involved in illegality?

The minnesota voters association is filing similar lawsuits against the city of duluth ?

"* the city of minneapolis ?

"* and ramsey county.

The minnesota supreme court ordered for these cases to be consolidated ?

"* so it will be handled with the ramsey county district court judge.

Live in rochester annalise johnson kimt news 3./// thank you annalise.

In a statement to kimt ?

"* the olmsted county attorney's office says quote: "we are aware that a lawsuit has been filed but have not yet been served with the paperwork.

We cannot provide any further comment