Coleman-Franken senatorial recount update

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

So, is Coleman's victory "official" yet?

[HankB]

So, is Coleman's victory "official" yet?

I hear they're waiting for the ink to dry on some additional Franken ballots . . .

[RocketMan]

Good gravy!  They're going to give that election to Franken one way or another.  Just get it done, already!

[Scout26]

Al Franken gets boosts in Minnesota Senate recount

And it's Franken going for the steal !!!

Whenever a Democrat say "it's a great day for Democracy", you know they just screwed over Republicans....

http://www.wlsam.com/news.asp?c=5149&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhosted%2Eap%2Eorg%2Fdynamic%2Fstories%2FM%2FMINNESOTA%5FSENATE%3FSITE%3DWLSAM%26SECTION%3DHOME%26TEMPLATE%3DDEFAULT

By BRIAN BAKST
Associated Press Writer

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Democrat Al Franken won a pair of victories Friday before the state board overseeing the Senate recount, including a decision that as many as 1,500 incorrectly rejected absentee ballots should be included.

The board also opted to recommend use of election night results in a Franken-leaning Minneapolis precinct where 133 ballots went missing, a decision that could have cost him 46 votes if it had gone the other way.

[what about those 20,000 Coleman votes I found in the trunk of my car ??]

"It was a great day for democracy," Franken attorney Marc Elias said after a hearing that drew protesters urging use of rejected absentee votes.

Franken had fought especially hard to include the absentees as he tries to overtake Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in the drawn-out recount.

Coleman's campaign lawyers said they would go to court over the absentee ballot ruling.

With all precincts recounted, Coleman has a 192-vote edge over Franken - down slightly from his 215-vote lead entering the recount.

But there's a long way to go. That margin doesn't include the absentees. Nor does it include any of the 6,655 ballot challenges the two campaigns filed during the recount. Both sides have withdrawn hundreds - including 750 Friday by Franken - but the state Canvassing Board will tackle some 3,450 starting Tuesday.

The board's decision on improperly rejected absentees doesn't guarantee they will be opened and counted because it doesn't have the power to order counties to do so. Most counties have gone forward with a voluntary sorting, though others have balked.

But Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said he's not worried about getting counties aboard.

"They are sobered and they would like to correct those errors," he said.

Coleman's campaign planned to file a petition with the state Supreme Court as soon as Friday to seek uniform rules for dealing with the absentee ballots, arguing that leaving the task to counties would create inconsistencies.

Coleman lawyer Tony Trimble said the campaign is asking counties to hold off on any action involving the ballots until the court weighs in.

At least 638 absentee ballots are known to have been rejected for something other than the four legal reasons for disqualification. That's based on an assessment of about half of Minnesota's counties by the secretary of state's office. State officials estimate the total could top 1,500.

It's not known which candidate stands to benefit most from those ballots.

"It would be unjust and disrespectful to those voters not to count those votes," said Judge Edward Cleary, one of four who sit with Ritchie on the board.

About 30 demonstrators gathered outside the Capitol hearing room to urge Canvassing Board members to count the absentee ballots. They held handmade signs saying "Let the people's votes count" and "Count every vote." Some wore "Count every vote" stickers.

The board acted after receiving a legal opinion from the office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, a Democrat, that the ballots should be counted.

"There is no doubt that voters who have complied with all legal requirements, but whose ballots were improperly rejected, should have their vote counted," it read.

The opinion laid out several options for getting the ballots into the count, some involving court action and others through administrative means. It says that the campaigns are free to seek court orders to compel counties to take part.

The board voted unanimously to rely on tapes from a ballot counting machine rather than results from the manual recount in a precinct in the University of Minnesota area in Minneapolis. Coleman's campaign had argued against using anything but the recount figures.

A packet of ballots from the precinct couldn't be found after an exhaustive search of the city's elections warehouse. Consequently, the recount showed 133 fewer votes than the number of people who signed in on Election Day or who voted absentee.

Because Franken decisively won the precinct, he stood to lose the most votes if the board went with the recount tally over the machine tapes.

 

[HankB]

So if a recount in a particular precinct favors Coleman, then ignore the recount and use the original records, even if they include ballots that for all anyone knows are fictitious, or were counted twice.

Of course, if a recount favors Franken, then the recount MUST be more accurate and MUST be used, to the exclusion of the original records.

What chutzpah - they're not even PRETENDING to do anything but commit election fraud . . . and it looks like The Stupid Party is just going to stand around and take it!

[Don't care]

Precincts Recounted: 100.00% (4130 of 4130)     Last update was: 12/12/2008 5:01:18 PM

Statewide Recount Results for US Senate
 
Nov. 4 Ballots Cast for Norm Coleman   1211590
Nov. 4 Ballots Cast for Al Franken           1211375
 
Recounted Data   Totals   Percent
RECOUNT Number of Ballots for Coleman (as recounted)   1208935   41.40
RECOUNT Number of Ballots for Franken (as recounted)   1208747   41.39
RECOUNT Number of All Other Ballots (as recounted)   495920   16.98
RECOUNT COLEMAN and Other Ballots Challenged By FRANKEN   3278   0.11
RECOUNT FRANKEN and Other Ballots Challenged By COLEMAN   3377   0.12

Percentage of Ballots Recounted = 100.00 %

* These totals do not include results for any challenged ballots that were withdrawn by the candidates.

Created 12/12/2008 6:53:12 PM  (0.0156)
http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20081104/SenateRecount.asp

[Fly320s]

So, is that the official end?  Can we finally put the pacifier back in Franken's mouth?

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

So, is that the official end? 

Of course not.  Franken hasn't won yet.

[Lbys]

This morning, Sen. Coleman's camp filed a petition with the MN Supreme Court, asking it to establish standards for how these 1,600-some-odd absentee ballots will be reviewed:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/36106849.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUs

My favorite quote:

Marc Elias, Franken's lead recount attorney, called the Coleman petition "an extraordinary action to try and halt this count and re-disenfranchise these voters.

Re-disenfranchisement?  Is that like wealth re-redistribution?

[longeyes]

In a perfect world Republican Senators would treat Franken, should he gain office, as invisible...much as a lot of his voters are "invisible."

[Perd Hapley]

In a perfect world Republican Senators Americans would treat Frank, should he gain office, as invisible...much as a lot of his voters are "invisible."

[nico]

^^ agreed.  Personally, I find it disturbing that this election was anywhere near this close.

[Perd Hapley]

Me too.  But I'll repeat that the election of Al Franken would have been a fitting commentary on the election of Barack Obama. 

[K Frame]

AP is now reporting that Coleman's lead has dwindled to TWO votes...

This ain't good.

[longeyes]

Come on, guys, it is only fitting that a former Saturday Night Live stalwart rise to power in the Age of Mockery.  That half the voters of a formerly sober state like Minnesota would actually vote for Al Franken says volumes about America today.  Unfortunately, we can't just change the station.

[Bogie]

Strategy: Keep counting the votes until you get +1, then call for an end.

[K Frame]

Star Tribune is now saying Franken is leading by 250 votes.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Recount the votes long enough and the Dem will always win.

[grampster]

Holy Mackerel!!  I just looked in my garage and I found 500 absentee ballots.  Stop the presses and call the election board.

[gunsmith]

http://senaterecount.startribune.com/ballots/index.php?review_date=2008-12-18&index=171


Here is an example where the Minnesota Canvassing Board claims the vote is clearly for Franken.

[Ben]

What the hell is that democratic/farmer/labor thing? I can't believe any farmers are behind this horse's ass.

[Standing Wolf]

What the hell is that democratic/farmer/labor thing? I can't believe any farmers are behind this horse's ass.

You obviously haven't received any crop subsidies lately.

What chutzpah - they're not even PRETENDING to do anything but commit election fraud . . . and it looks like The Stupid Party is just going to stand around and take it!

Easy on the name calling, eh? It's we, the people who are stupid. The Republicrats and Democans sorted things out a long, long time ago. They get to take turns. We get to pick up the tab and sacrifice more and more of our civil rights in the name of "public safety," or some such high-sounding lie.

[GigaBuist]

Here is an example where the Minnesota Canvassing Board claims the vote is clearly for Franken.

No, they said it went to Coleman.

[gunsmith]

No, they said it went to Coleman.

you're just going with what you see, Minnesota’s state election officials see a Franken vote

[Ben]

Schumer states the board will be announcing Franken on Monday. Coleman is still looking to get some 600 absentee ballots counted.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090104/pl_politico/27716