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HAND COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS: RES #6 <br />RESOLUTION NO. 2024- <br />CITY OF <br />ANOKA COUNTY <br />STATE OF MINNESOTA <br />RESOLUTION TO HAND COUNT BALLOTS/VOTES AT PRECINCTS <br />IN 2024 PRIMARY & GENERAL ELECTIONS <br />WHEREAS, free and fair elections are the bedrock supporting the superstructure of our <br />constitutional republic and local voting precincts are the building blocks of our democratic <br />process; and <br />WHEREAS, our election system is a fair, efficient and cost-effective means to select public <br />officials who then make decisions about government programs and services amounting to <br />millions, billions and even trillions of dollars at all governmental levels; and <br />WHEREAS, on January 6, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated <br />as critical infrastructure the U.S. election systems including voting machines, registration <br />databases, polling locations and voting storage facilities thereby recognizing the need for <br />vigilant protection from fraud, corruption and cyber attack either foreign or domestic; and <br />WHEREAS, current Minnesota law, as recently amended, mandates the continued use of <br />an electronic voting system (i.e. vote tabulator-M.S. 206.56, subd. 8) for state elections (206.58) <br />but there is no provision preventing a municipality from conducting a parallel hand count of all <br />or some of the ballots and votes; and <br />WHEREAS, the governing body of a municipality shall give approval before an electronic <br />voting system may be adopted or used in the municipality (206.58) which was effectively done <br />by the City/Township of under the Joint Powers Agreement, as amended, and <br />referenced as Anoka County Contract No. C0008996 and dated November, 2021; and <br />WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes empower municipalities (cities and townships) to create <br />voting precincts (2046.14), establish polling places (2046.16), appoint and employ election <br />judges (2046.21) and administer election -day activities at the polls (204C) including the hand <br />counting of ballots and votes in each precinct (204C.19) using the piling system (204C.21). <br />14 <br />