Overview:
The Minnesota DFL has rescinded its endorsement of State Sen. Omar Fateh for Minneapolis mayor after a party committee found major flaws in the electronic voting system used at the summer convention. The committee ruled that the first and second ballots were compromised due to broken formulas in a tabulation spreadsheet, unsecured access, and miscounts that dropped a qualifying candidate. As a result, the DFL will not endorse any candidate in the mayoral race. Fateh’s campaign plans to appeal, calling the decision disenfranchisement, while Mayor Jacob Frey praised the move as correcting an error.
The Minnesota DFL is rescinding its endorsement of a candidate in the Minneapolis Mayor’s race after a committee found problems with the endorsement process held earlier this summer.
In a statement, the DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee, after an investigation, found that there was clear evidence that the endorsement of State Sen. Omar Fateh for mayor “was facilitated by use of a flawed electronic voting system” which they say led to a substantial undercount on the first ballot and led to a candidate being dropped from consideration after that first ballot.
Because of the ruling, the party will not endorse any candidate for the mayoral race.
In a statement, DFL Party Chairman Richard Carlbom said, “Now it’s time to turn our focus to unity and our common goal: electing DFL leaders focused on making life more affordable for Minnesotans and holding Republicans accountable for the chaos and confusion they’ve unleashed on Minnesotans.”
A draft of the findings of fact showed that an Excel spreadsheet used to tabulate votes had several broken formulas, that one candidate who was later found to have reached the 20 percent threshold in the first vote was dropped, the spreadsheet was unsecured and accessed by non-members of the credentials committee, including by campaigns, among other problems.
In their decision, they found those flaws were enough that the first and second ballots of the mayoral endorsement votes should be disregarded and that Fateh’s endorsement should be revoked.
Fateh’s campaign says they are actively exploring an appeal of the decision.
In a statement from Fateh’s co-campaign manager Graham Faulkner, he said the challenge was pushed by “party insiders and establishment Democrats” who pushed to “overturn the will of Minneapolis residents.”
“Our campaign sees this for what it is: disenfranchisement of thousands of Minneapolis caucus-goers and the delegates who represented all of us on convention day,” Graham said in an emailed statement. “The establishment is threatened by our message. They are scared of a politics that really stands up to corporate interests and with our working class neighbors.”
Fateh’s opponent, current Mayor Jacob Frey, praised the decision.
“I am proud to be a member of a party that believes in correcting our mistakes, and I am glad that this inaccurate and obviously flawed process was set aside,” said Frey in an emailed statement. “I look forward to having a full and honest debate with Senator Fateh about our city’s future, with the outcome now resting squarely where it should — with all the people of Minneapolis.”
This story was originally published on MPR News.