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John Enger

DFLer John Persell wins after a Minn. House seat recount

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John Persell won a recount Monday in Minnesota House District 5A. The original count in the north-central district had Persell leading Republican incumbent Matt Bliss by just eight votes.

The new margin: 11 votes.

Volunteers and election officials hand-counted nearly 17,000 ballots, uncovering voting machine errors that increased Persell's lead.

Persell's lawyer David Zoll said he expected more of a change.

"The total result changed by less than 2 percent of a percent. So if you want to talk about, can Minnesotans trust their election results," Zoll said.

Reid LeBeau, an attorney for Bliss, said the final results should hold.

"A lot of credit to the county, this might be one of the most efficient recounts that I've been to," LeBeau said. "So they did a really nice job."

The recount results will be certified by the state canvassing board on Dec. 17 in St. Paul.