OpEdNews » Minnesota Recount Update

Coleman leads Franken 195,638 votes to 180,923 for an edge of 14,715. That might seem like good news for Coleman, but in reality it represents a net loss of 70 votes from the original count for Coleman and a net loss of only 27 votes for Franken, so among undisputed ballots Franken has cut Coleman’s lead by 43 votes. That would lower Coleman’s 215 vote edge over Franken when the recount began to 172 now. There are 221 disputed “challenged” ballots that will not be counted until reviewed by the Canvassing Board. Coleman has challenged 9 more ballots than Franken has, which might also suggest that there more potential Franken votes than Coleman votes among the challenged ballots. It would also appear that the Franken strongholds have not yet been recounted.

Please note the caveats:

Recount results shown are incomplete and unofficial. Results shown are subject to change and correction at any time until the State Canvassing Board certifies the results of the recount.

Statewide totals shown are for reported precincts only, and are partial until all the precincts in Minnesota have been recounted. Ballots reported as challenged by either candidate will not be counted for any candidate until the challenges have been finally determined by the State Canvassing Board.

Precincts Recounted: 23.17% (957 of 4130) Last update was: 11/19/2008 8:00:03 PM
Statewide Recount Results for US Senate

        Totals
Nov. 4 Ballots Cast for Norm Coleman    195,708
Nov. 4 Ballots Cast for Al Franken      180,950

Recounted Data Totals Percent
RECOUNT Number of Ballots for Coleman (as recounted)    195,638 43.25
RECOUNT Number of Ballots for Franken (as recounted)    180,923 39.99
RECOUNT Number of All Other Ballots (as recounted)      75,585   16.71

RECOUNT COLEMAN and Other Ballots Challenged By FRANKEN 106     0.02
RECOUNT FRANKEN and Other Ballots Challenged By COLEMAN 115     0.03

Jerry Policoff

www.progressives4pennsylvania.com

www.healthcare4AllPA.org

Steven Freeman is a professor at University of Pennsylvania and the co-author of Was The 2004 Presidential Election Stolen? with Joel Bleifuss.

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6 comments

I am a Crowned Anarchist, socialist, feminist, poet, writer and vegetarian. I left America seven years ago because I wasn't going to become a victim of the hidden holocaust (http://hiddenmurder.blogspot.com) Industry was downsizing so society was, too.

I earned four university degrees to become one of the legions of workers that industry finds redundant and American society finds as "useless eaters." Born from a lower tier of society, all I ever did was live in the gutter in Amer...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Martha Rose CrowI am a Crowned Anarchist, socialist, feminist, poet, writer and vegetarian. I left America seven years ago because I wasn't going to become a victim of the hidden holocaust (http://hiddenmurder.blogspot.com) Industry was downsizing so society was, too.

I earned four university degrees to become one of the legions of workers that industry finds redundant and American society finds as "useless eaters." Born from a lower tier of society, all I ever did was live in the gutter in Amer...

to see more of bio, click on member name

I'm Hoping My Absentee Ballot Helps Franken

I live in Europe and it was expensive sending my ballot back to Minnesota but I did because I wanted Franken to get my vote. I hope he wins. Coleman is evil.

by Martha Rose Crow (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 39 comments) on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 1:50:20 PM

Charlie Levenson is a writer and activist in Portland, Oregon. In addition to serving as the Manager of Electronic Communications for a social/athletic club in Portland, he instructs in Digital Media at Portland State University, consults on communications strategy, and occasionally writes/directs videos.
Charlie LCharlie Levenson is a writer and activist in Portland, Oregon. In addition to serving as the Manager of Electronic Communications for a social/athletic club in Portland, he instructs in Digital Media at Portland State University, consults on communications strategy, and occasionally writes/directs videos.

An honest count

I'm going to go out on a limb here.

I think, since the actual paper votes are going to be actually counted with the "voter's intent" in mind, and all the "spoiled" and "overvotes" are going to be counted under the watchful eye of a non-partisan and fair Secretary of State (thank you Secretary of State Project, THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!!) that Frankin is going to win this election by about 15,000 votes by the time the counting is done.

That's right, I predict that the two HUNDRED vote deficit will become a fifteen THOUSAND plus majority. (Prop 8 opponents in California, gives you something to think about, no? All those other stolen elections? Something to think about, no?)

Not that Al deserves it, after deriding the Election Integrity movement so much in 2004 and refusing to offer up his Air America platform to those who wanted to fight for fair and honest elections. But hey, a fair and honest election in Minn. isn't a gift for Franken, it's a gift to the people of Minnesota and for our Democratic Republic as a whole.

Go Fairness. Go honest counting. Go open elections. Go DEMOCRACY!!!

by Charlie L (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 737 comments) on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:11:14 PM

I have been an advertising executive most of my career with a long-time interest in progressive politics and journalism. My current primary goal is to help bring single-payer healthcare to Pennsylvania and the country.
Jerry PolicoffI have been an advertising executive most of my career with a long-time interest in progressive politics and journalism. My current primary goal is to help bring single-payer healthcare to Pennsylvania and the country.

The Recount

Thanks to Steve Freeman for posting this.

It appears that those "disputed" ballots may be part of a Coleman scheme to muddy the waters. According to an election official quoted by Associated Press yesterday, the intent of the voter was clear on every disputed ballot he saw, and he doubted that any of them would be thrown out. That would suggest that Franken may pick up more than 20 additional votes from the disputed ballots examined so far which would put him at about 30% of his ultimate goal of picking up 116 votes (TPM Election Central has more up-to-date numbers. and they indicate that Coleman has disputed 23 more ballots than Franken has). That is with only 18% of the ballots recounted.

Could the Coleman plan be to dispute as many ballots as humanly possible and then claim fraud when the Board counts them? Some of the disputed ballots are posted at the Minnesota public broadcasting web site. As an example of what Coleman is disputing, one of the ballots has the box next to Franken filled in. Coleman's name is crossed out with the word "no" written next to it. The Coleman people disputed the ballot because they claimed the intent of the voter was not clear.

Jerry Policoff

by Jerry Policoff (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments) on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:16:50 PM

Michael Cavlan , RN, was an Official Green Party Observer for the 2004 Ohio Re-Count.
He was the Green Party Candidate for US Senate 2006 and is a Candidate US Senate
2008 Seeking Green Party Endorsement in Minnesota. See www.michaelcavlan.org
Michael CavlanMichael Cavlan , RN, was an Official Green Party Observer for the 2004 Ohio Re-Count.
He was the Green Party Candidate for US Senate 2006 and is a Candidate US Senate
2008 Seeking Green Party Endorsement in Minnesota. See www.michaelcavlan.org

Minnesota Mike Here

Ha ha ha ha ha

Funny, Al Franken was challenged on his stance on election fraud and voter disenfranchisment.

Al Franken did not want to talk about it.

Karma at work folks. Karma.

by Michael Cavlan (11 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 329 comments) on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 11:53:31 PM

I'm a small business owner who has a very low tolerance for B.S. I believe in an absolute reality that is immutable regardless of your personal perceptions and opinions. However, I am highly suspicious of anyone who claims that they have a perfect perception of that reality. I believe that the ability to continuously question your own perception of reality, is an essential prerequisite for being a rational thinker.
roy lutzI'm a small business owner who has a very low tolerance for B.S. I believe in an absolute reality that is immutable regardless of your personal perceptions and opinions. However, I am highly suspicious of anyone who claims that they have a perfect perception of that reality. I believe that the ability to continuously question your own perception of reality, is an essential prerequisite for being a rational thinker.

Are you a Patriot or a Traitor?

This article brings up a relavent question. How many people in this country are patriots or traitors to our system of government? How many people support our democratic process, and how many just want to win by any means?

Here's a simple test to see if you are a traitor, or a true American Patriot:

Be honest, which would you choose?

A. To have clean election, but your guy looses.

or,

B. To have dirty election, but your guy wins.

If you chose "A" you are a true American patriot. Thank you!

If you chose "B", you are a traitor to the American spirit, principles and values. Please leave the county immediately. You have no right to be an Ameican citizen.

by roy lutz (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 29 comments) on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 11:21:24 AM