Overview
- Lindell said he withheld the $825,000 bond that was due Monday to start a privately funded statewide hand recount and that he will file emergency litigation to block or change the Secretary of State’s recount parameters.
- The State Canvassing Board’s contingency plan would record votes by name only for the top two Republican candidates while grouping all other Republican votes into a single column, and the Secretary of State’s office says the plan follows state law and long-standing practice.
- Lisa Demuth was certified as the Republican nominee after beating Lindell by about 45,000 votes in the Aug. 11 primary, and that certified result remains in place while the recount dispute proceeds.
- Lindell’s campaign says the recount must include all candidates because its alleged election-night anomalies affected multiple contenders, but state officials report no official findings of fraud or irregularity in the primary.
- If Lindell misses the payment deadline he risks forfeiting the state’s discretionary recount process and the dispute could prompt expedited court review; Lindell’s well-known record of promoting 2020 election falsehoods and a Trump endorsement shape how officials and voters view his challenge.