RRM Attorneys Ann Goering and Jordan Soderlind successfully obtained complete dismissal of a lawsuit on behalf of Rice County. The suit was brought in late August 2022 against the County’s elections director, and involved a variety of inaccurate claims and theories regarding the County’s elections technology and responses to data requests from members of the public. Among other things, the plaintiffs sought to prevent the County from following its policy related to disposing of records from prior elections after the retention period expired, and to prevent the County from using its existing elections process in the November 2022 election. The District Court concluded that the Complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted with respect to the Government Data Practices Act, because the elections director was not the County’s responsible authority. The District Court also found that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the elections challenge, in part because there were no factual disputes for the Court to resolve and in part because Plaintiffs failed to comply with the service requirements of the statute.

If you have questions regarding your municipality’s elections, your responsibilities under the Data Practices Act, or other legal issues, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney is here to help. We can be reached at (612) 339-0060.