Trail mix: Ramsey County can fix ballots that mistakenly included dead candidate

Early voters in a St. Paul House district will no longer see a dead former candidate appear on their ballot.

Driving the news: The state Supreme Court on Monday approved Ramsey County's request to reprint ballots after election officials discovered they had mistakenly ordered the wrong version.

By the numbers: The county says 1,198 absentee ballots with the error were sent to voters.

• It will cost about $2,300 to reprint the ballots, a spokesperson told Axios.

What's next: Anyone in House District 67A who requested a ballot by mail will get a fresh copy with the correct candidates, per Ramsey County.

• Those who already voted should receive a notice explaining that they can "spoil" their original ballot so it can't be counted and cast a new one under state law.

Tom Bakk backs a Republican

Outgoing state Sen. Tom Bakk has endorsed Republican Andrea Zupancich over Democrat Grant Hauschild in the race to succeed him in a Northern Minnesota legislative district.

Why it matters: The district, which Bakk represented for decades, is one of a number of competitive contests that will determine which party controls the Senate next year. It's considered a toss-up.

Flashback: The longtime lawmaker and former DFL leader became an independent and started caucusing with Republicans after the 2020 election.

Of note: Bakk did endorse Democrats in two other key Northern Minnesota races.

💰 1 quote to go... Cash flies in MN02

"It’s going to be probably the second most expensive congressional race in the country.”

Trail Mix is Axios reporter Torey Van Oot's weekly round up of news from the Minnesota campaign trail. Send her tips and story ideas at [email protected].