Mike Lindell announces self-funded recount: How it will work

By Easton Martin | August 20, 2026

Mike Lindell is moving forward with a privately funded statewide hand recount and audit of Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, committing to examine every paper ballot cast in the August 11 election.

Lindell announced the effort on Wednesday, ensuring the comprehensive review will proceed at zero expense to Minnesota taxpayers. The initiative focuses on resolving specific irregularities identified in election-night electronic reporting data.

While Minnesota law reserves state-funded recounts for margins within 0.25 percent, state statute explicitly protects the right of candidates to independently finance a full hand count and audit. Lindell is exercising that legal right in full. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s office has estimated the official recounting cost at approximately $825,000, and Lindell has prepared for the overall effort to reach closer to $1 million with investigators and operational expenses included. 

Lindell’s team has documented notable electronic reporting anomalies from election night, including vote totals that appeared to move backward and reporting discrepancies. A complete hand recount will provide a reliable method to confirm that the reported electronic totals match the underlying paper ballots.  

The initiative will play well into Lindell’s broader work advocating for paper ballots and hand counting. Utilizing established statutory processes to review the physical record will provide voters direct clarity and will strengthen confidence in the accuracy of the vote. Whether this will change any vote totals or not, it will spread awareness of hand-counting paper ballots, and bring election integrity further into the mainstream news cycle.