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Mike Lindell recount payment 'withheld'
Mike Lindell's campaign says it is withholding a payment for a recount of the Republican primary for Minnesota governor due to disputes over the process.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has filed a petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court as he seeks a recount in the Republican primary in the race for governor.
Lindell recount petition
The backstory:
After losing the primary this month to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Lindell announced he would pay for a recount in the race.
Lindell's campaign released a statement Monday saying the $825,000 payment was "primed and ready to cover the costs" but had not been submitted because of a disagreement over how the recount would be conducted.
What we know:
In court documents filed late Monday, Lindell is seeking a temporary restraining order related to the recount. Lindell is taking issue with the state's current plan for counting ballots cast in the Republican primary for governor.
Lindell says that under the state's plan, votes cast for candidates other than him and Demuth would be grouped together rather than tallied separately by candidate. He wants the state to count and record a separate vote total for every candidate in the race. Lindell also argues ballots cast in the Democratic primary should be recounted because the Republican and Democratic races appeared on the same ballot form.
Lindell also claims the Secretary of State's office did not clarify the exact recount process until Monday morning, the day the recount payment was due.
Big picture view:
Lindell says he is prepared to pay the full cost of the recount and has provided proof to the state that he has the funds available to cover the full cost of the recount.
According to state election officials, Demuth received 179,683 votes in the primary, while Lindell received 134,282.
There have been no official findings of fraud or irregularity in the Minnesota primary results.
The Source: This story uses court documents, statements from Mike Lindell's campaign and information from Minnesota election officials.