Minnesota Supreme Court denies Mike Lindell's recount challenge

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - An effort by former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to force the state to allow a recount in the Republican primary for Minnesota governor under his terms has been denied by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Petition denied

What we know:

In a ruling filed on Saturday, the court ruled against Lindell, finding the recount process laid out by the state was valid under law.

The justices found that Lindell's focus on alleged anomalies "confuses" the purpose of a recount with an election contest under law.

What they're saying:

"Lindell argues that he is entitled to a full recount for both the Democratic and Republican primary races for governor ‘to ensure that there are no anomalies in the ballots, whether the votes cast are for the Democratic or Republican primaries,’ and that this recount must include ‘the recording of votes for every candidate,’" the order reads. "But Lindell’s focus on alleged anomalies confuses the purpose of a manual recount with an election contest."

"A manual ‘recount is intended to ensure that the votes cast in the election were accurately counted,’" the order explains, quoting a previous decision while an election contest "may be brought over an irregularity in the conduct of an election or canvass of votes."

Justices explain that Lindell, at this point, is seeking a recount and the state is within law in limit the scope of that recount. The order points out that Lindell has already filed notice of a separate election contest in Ramsey County court, which this decision doesn't affect.

"In other words, after all votes are sorted and counted, Lindell would know whether he is the winner over [Minnesota House Speaker Lisa] Demuth. And all ballots, in all piles, would be counted and subject to challenge."

Lindell's challenge

The backstory:

Lindell brought the petition on the day of the deadline for him to submit the $825,000 deposit to pay for the recount last week. Lindell never paid the cash, the state said, but provided a receipt that he said proved he was ready to send the full cash sum.

In his filings, Lindell requested a temporary restraining order to force the state to complete a full recount of both Republican and Democratic ballots, counting each candidate's votes individually. The state's approved recount process only counts ballots for Lindell and Demuth individually and other ballots would be counted together in a third stack.

Big picture view:

So far, FOX 9 is not aware of any compelling evidence showing irregularities in the primary election, which Demuth won easily by more than 45,000 votes (179,683 to 134,282). She was certified as the winner on Aug. 18.

What's next:

Demuth is set to face Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November election.

Lindell notice of an election contest has been filed in Ramsey County.