In a serious election error, Faribault County, Minnesota, sent out ballots incorrectly listing Republican state Rep. Peggy Bennett as a Democrat. Her opponent, Joe Staloch, a Democrat, was mistakenly labeled as a Republican. The error, affecting 17 ballots, was discovered after early voting began on September 20.
Bennett, who is running for re-election in District 23A, was alerted to the issue by a Republican supporter who had already cast his vote for Staloch, believing him to be the GOP candidate. In response, Bennett issued a statement reassuring voters of her continued allegiance to the Republican Party and criticized the lack of oversight in catching the mistake before the ballots were distributed.
While Bennett expressed frustration over the error, she defended the local county auditors, stating they had worked hard to correct a mistake that wasn’t their fault. Instead, she directed her criticism toward the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, which she believes should have caught the problem earlier.
The Secretary of State’s office denied responsibility, claiming that each of Minnesota’s 87 counties is responsible for printing ballots. According to their statement, the office provides certified information to counties, but the actual preparation of the ballots is done by local authorities and their vendors.
The county is now seeking corrective action through the courts to ensure that voters who received incorrect ballots have their votes properly counted.
