ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – Democrat Al Franken's campaign filed a lawsuit Thursday in Ramsey County, Minnesota, requesting the names of all individuals who filed a rejected absentee ballot in the Senate race between the former comedian and incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
Mark Elias, lead recount attorney for Franken, said many absentee ballots are rejected for insufficient reasons, offering the example of an elderly woman who'd suffered a recent stroke which affected her signature, and kept it from matching the one her county had on file.
"This is not a lawsuit about putting ballots in the count or not in the count," Elias said. "This is about giving us access to the data that will allow us to determine whether or not there are lawful ballots...[that] werent counted."
The current tally of votes puts Coleman 206 votes ahead of Franken out of about 2.5 million cast in that contest. A hand recount of the Senate race is set to begin November 19.
Elias told reporters at a Thursday press conference that the campaign has asked each county for a list of the people whose absentee ballots were rejected. Elias, along with Franken spokesman Andy Barr, could not say exactly how many counties have offered their lists and how many have not, but added that Ramsey County has not.
The campaign's hope, according to Elias, is that Ramsey County would side in their favor and set a precedent that would immediately be followed by all counties in the state.
Elias and Barr could not say what they plan do with the lists of names if were given them but added that calling each person whose absentee ballot was rejected would not be out of the picture.
"Lets see what happens and then we will see what our next steps are," Elias said.
Whether or not any of the rejected ballots might be counted or not is unclear, but Elias said he does plan on making an appeal to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie's newly-formed canvassing board. A spokesman for the Secretary of State's office was not immediately available for comment.
Coleman campapign manager Cullen Sheehan fired back, calling the Franken team's efforts Thursday an attempt to "strong arm" officials into "counting invalid ballots in order to influence the outcome."
"We have grave concerns that the private information requested by the Franken campaign could lead to the harassment of Minnesota voters through visits by Franken campaign or Democratic Party operatives to their homes," said Sheehan.
From CNN Politics
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Work for us | Help
Geez Franken, just accept it. Just like America in the presidential election...you lost.
Franken is just a sore loser.
I don't even know if he still has his radio 'show' but when he was on air he was full of hate and contempt. He used to be a funny guy and it is sad to see him stoop to the level he is at right now. I wonder what happened to him to turn him into such a hateful man?
Looks like Franken is trying to find a way to steal it, if the recount doesn't steal it.
Of course! Franken has to wait until the votes from Chicago and Acorn arrive by truck.
I'm really tired of all this bickering. As citizens of the United States, our greatest priviledge is to vote for our representatives. Somehow, we have lost sight of that and begin rejecting ballots and denying people the opportunity to vote because of incomplete records, poor accounting, and reasons that are simply illegal.
I don't particularly support either candidate but I do believe every one that showed up to vote should have their vote counted. I think it is appropriate we know who's ballots have been rejected and for what reason the state determined that those votes should not count.
I am truly appaud that our country has lost it way. We need a federal election system and a national set of rules.
Awesome. Give it to them from behind Al.
Just another sore loser....give it up and quit wasting time and taxpayer money on a recount!
If that woman's vote was discounted because of a post-stroke signature, that is deplorable. I don't care if its the vote that decides the entire election, it is absolutely reprehensible.
sorry al franken, you lost. now the dems are trying to steal this election.
Go get em Al!
ACORN! That's too funny! Not original--but funny.
What a nut!
What ,another Democrat JOKER-Al move on.
This is terrible and pathetic.
I cannot believe that people are so hungry for power that they distort the right of citizens and inflate vote tallies. Only in America.
Absolutely hysterical that the Republicans are crying about the same stuff – voter irregularity – that they pulled in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. What goes around comes around. COUNT EVERY VOTE!!! Onward to 60 Democratic Senators!!!
hey, MD from Texas... don't comment on things obviously above your intelligence level. Remember, Minnesota has one of the best educational systems in the country, and Texas is full of people that think GWB is a genius.
Your opinion on our Senate race is like a kindergartner advising a brain surgeon. Keep it to yourself hillbilly, and stay in the south with the rest of your idiot friends.
MD, TX
You need to get a life...don't cry, everything will be alright...just change your party to DEMOCRAT !!!
They should just have a revote
This is one bad joke too many.
Franken is a stupid guy. Democrats have these stupid candidates and they will do anything to get re-elected. I hope they reject all votes that came through Acorn. I hope Barack is listening because he also got elected due to Acorn.
too bad for Al Franken, my friends and I voted for Norm Coleman and agaist Franken, we all are Democrats and voted also for Obama, but we count'n vote for this racist Franken.
I know of many others Democrats who despite this man.
The vote screening process is broken and needs an overhaul.
We need to purge the election officials who deny citizens their rights.
It hurts to know an old lady is denied her vote on such pettiness.
Good for Franken to stand up for her rights.
Be like Washington's Governor race of 2004. Keep counting and finding votes until you get the results you want.
The absentee ballots should be counted and I don't think that the Franken campaign is going to haress voters...especially with the media and attention that this race is getting.
why don't they just flip a coin and get this mess over with.
I love that whatever party is the threatened one, whether it be Democrats or Republicans they want to keep their power and make excuses on why certain votes should not be counted. All votes should be counted, that is democracy, and the will of the American people. When anyone tries to manipulate the election and change the people's choice, democracy looses and liberty is crushed. All votes must be counted.
Absentee ballots never seem to be counted in any state unless it is close.
No excuse why MN doesn't count them since the recount is mandatory anyway.
As much as I am blue at heart, I think it's time to let it go. I am an American and truly believe in the idea of checks and balances.
We don't need our government to be totally blue to work, it just needs to work right!
Call it quits Al, our country has a lot of work to do.
I like Franken.. but I just don't see him as government material.
But... I guess if republicans could actually be serious about having Joe the Plumber run in 2010.. I must just be ignorant as to what constitutes being qualified to work in government.
Franken is a joke. Democrats got into white house and they now want to grab all senate seats. Nancy,Harry and Barack are the major problem here. They are power-hungry. Acorn has elected them and now they want Franken to join the bandwagon. Jokers...
I don't blame Franken. Coleman is a shark in the mold of Karl Rove who brought vote-stealing and vote-suppression to an art form over the past 8 years! Please tell me what is more egregious – signing up Mickey Mouse in a registration drive (who will never actually be allowed to vote) or suppressing tens of thousands of votes, many or most of which – according to statistics – wee rejected bc. of clerical error!
we need a uniform election process...NOW!
I do not see what the "issue" is here. Clearly the purpose of looking at any ballot is to determine what was the intent of the voters. A legal process seems to be in place to look at ballots which are in question, so let the process work it out and yes going to the courts is part of that process where clarification is required. Yes, it takes time but I am sure we can wait a few more weeks to make sure we get the right answer not a quick answer. Yes right means that the winner might be a Republican or it might be a Democrat.
People from Texas don't like Al Franken? I am shocked! Everything in Texas is bigger I've heard,even their idiots.
That's right, bickering Democrats just keep counting and recounting until they get the results they like. Washington State showed the way in 2004.
I have no sympathy for people who don't keep their voter registration current. If you want to vote, abide by the law. It's not up to the county to keep your records straight, it's up to you if you want your vote to count.
I would love to see Al win, thus STICKING it to O'Reilly who cant stand him.It would be so funny to see Franken on the FACTOR and Oreilly have to address him as Senator
This is why we need a national vote-by-mail system. Much more efficient and safe – plus, the turnout is always pretty high.
Shut your mouths repug scum. It is now clear that coleman and the minnesota repugs are trying to steal the election. Franken is just trying to give the rights back to voters the repugs in minnesota are trying to disenfranchise. Just like the scum in alaska we are starting to see the hijinxs that went into rigging this senate run. Let the recount begin and coleman and his supporters shut your dam mouths and let it happen. Just like Begrich in Alaska Fraken will win minnesota.
Franken is getting desperate.
Watch some of his old SNL skits and look up some of his "humor" from the 1970's. He once made a joke about Gay-bashing, saying he was glad one of his fellow Harvard alums was beaten to death.
Funny guy, that Franken. As a Democrat, I hope he loses.
As Americans we should be outraged every time 1 vote isn't counted. It doesn't matter how they voted, we should be furious at how incompetent our voting system is.
So why aren't we? Because we are sheep, or cattle if you prefer. We follow along stupidly chewing our cuds and blindly believing that every thing will be okay and trusting that our rights are being looked out for...
..but they're not!
TONY G. November 13th, 2008 3:56 pm ET
MR. OBAMA: EVEN IF I DID NOT FOR YOU; I ALWAYS WILL BE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THIS COUNTRY, NEVER AGAINST YOU, IF YOU NEED MY OPINION I HAVE TO SAY THAT I HOPE YOU WILL BE ONE OF THE VERY BEST PRESIDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT FORGET YOUR RESPOSABILITIES TO FULL FILL THE NEEDS OF YOUR COUNTRY AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. GOD BLESS YOU AND GOOD LUCK.
TONY G.
--------------------
Tony G,
You my friend are a TRUE AMERICAN. We must all put down our bitterness and face the challenges of this awful mess we are in.
It is always correct to voice your opinion, for or against POLICIES. Personal attacks have no place in our discourse.
Thank you for your true patriotism in the face of so much hate and division.
We could all take a lesson from you.
Go Franken!
Ain't the American electorial process great!
It ain't over 'til the Frankenlady sings.
Franken mismanaged his own checkbook (and some other funds) – why would he bother to file suit over vote counting? In reality, it's a really sad statement on the state of Minnesota that this race is even this close. The guy doesn't have a clue.........oh wait, neither does our prez -elect.
The GOP doesn't understand what Democracy means. Purging & suppressing voters in 5 states and Stevens in Alaska trying to prevent 90k ballots from being counted... now that they're being counted, he's losing! haha
Additinoally, the RNC filed suit today so that the RNC can contribute $$ on behalf of candidates despite public financing. All they want to do is "fix" the system so only they can win. Sore losers!
Lets "count" the ballots and see where we are. Per Minnesota law, a runoff is needed anyway I think.
How many aren't being counted that Franken's group is requesting data on?
Keep at it Al!
Sometimes you can find the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.....
People who voted absentee have a right to know if their votes were counted.
The GOP doesn't understand what Democracy means. Purging & suppressing voters in 5 states and Stevens in Alaska trying to prevent 90k ballots from being counted... now that they're being counted, he's losing! haha
Additinoally, the RNC filed suit today so that the RNC can contribute $$ on behalf of candidates despite public financing. All they want to do is "fix" the system so only they can win. Sore losers!
Lets "count" the ballots and see where we are.
Sounds like he just wants to see which possibly legit ballots were rejected. Seems quite valid to me. I don't know why you Republicans are whining... oh wait, because you're all slowly starting to NOT MATTER ANYMORE.
The right to a private vote is a long-honored tradition in the USA.
I am concerned that someone would give out my name and address to a political campaign when I vote, either by regular or absentee ballot.
Why does Franken want the names of the voters if he doesn't intend to contact them?
Will he contact them all, or run them against a list of registered Democrats and then try to argue that only Democratic votes are not being counted?
It is very odd, indeed. I though a recount was going to be held, and now he throws a wrench in the works.
Note that election officials do not "compare signatures" as Franken's lawyer suggests. So his whole scenario about the little old lady stroke victim is a Hillary-like fantasy.
This guy is pretty amazing....
State law requires a recount when it is this close.... so let's forget the sore loser stuff. This really isn't a big deal. Just let the process flow and eventually the winner will be declared.
As to stealing the election... that is what Franken is worried about... how many people were disenfranchised improperly. Do you really think it could be stolen by any action now???? With Judges, Lawyers, and party members looking on at everything? Use your head!
Keep up the fight Al
I hear all this "steal the election" thing on both sides. Honestly, neither candidate garnered more than 45% of the electorate in Minnesota. That says something about both of them.
That said, Franken's legal team speaks about following the legal process, following the letter of the law, and counting all the votes. That doesn't sound like a sore loser trying to "steal the election". Coleman's legal team talks about voter fraud. A blogger on Fox News called Coleman's 700+ vote lead a "comfortable margin". Coleman has claimed victory more than once. He is more welcoming to an ethics investigation than to a recount. I don't know what this says about him, but certainly whoever takes office should be taking in it under the condition of certainty, or at the very least by following the legal process established by the state.
If the Democrats had run a REAL candidate instead of a comedian this race would be over.
Unless only Franken supporters suffer strokes, there's really no way of knowing whether these absentee ballots would favor Franken or Coleman, just as there was no way of knowing whether Gore supporters or Bush supporters were more likely to cast ballots with hanging chads.
It should be in everyone's interest to make sure we have the best voting system possible. However, it always seems to be more in the interest of the candidate who's behind than the one who's ahead.
Fraken is a very intelligent man. He will fight for this as far as it goes. He is doing what he believes in. Maybe some people don't know what it means to fight for a cause. You never give up!
I am so tired of hearing about ACORN. It was a false issue. ACORN was accused of signing Mickey Mouse and names like to cote. How manny voters actually voted using the name Mickey Mouse? ACORN was wrong in what they did. However, the names ACORN used to falsify voter registrations, were NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE!!!! There are no illegal acorn VOTES, just false REGISTRATIONS. WOW, Between my former party, making up false issues, putting an airhead like Palin in the vp slot, simply because she's a woman, I am amazed why people ask me still today why I voted democrat this election. Franken, though I don't like him, has every right to use the legal process, the same way Bush did in 2000. It's not pretty, it's annoying, it's frustrating, but it's LEGAL. I hope Franken loses, but he has every right to use any and all means at his disposal to try to win. GWB did it in 2000, and he's doing it now.
The recount cannot "steal" the election.
Recounts happen when the tally is close enough for the undervotes to make a difference.
If there are only ~1% of the votes that are accidental undervotes, and a candidate wins by more than 0.5%, it is a statistical certainty that going through all the bother of looking carefully at each undervote to determine the will of the voters is not neccessary.
If the two candidates are only 206 votes apart, and there are ~35,000 undervotes... It is quite easy to imagine the undervotes having an effect on the winner. That's just math.
The point of the hand recount is to determine who won the actual vote. The intent of the voter who screwed up is supposed to count just as much as the intent of the voter who didn't.
If you don't like that law, change it... But change it when an election result DOES NOT hang in the ballot.
BTW, with optical scanning machines, ~5% of the undervotes are actually filled out correctly and simply not read.
The Jim Jones article on the front page of CNN.com makes me wonder if there will be a similar reflective article about Obama and the election of 2008 on the front page of a news website in 30 years…
Lap up that kool-aid folks. Lap it up.
As long as the votes aren't from names like Jimmie John's or Mr. Coffee don't count
Franken is trying to make sure everybody that voted for him has their ballot counted for him. He certainly has the right to contact the absentee voters and ask them if they supported him and try to determine if their vote counted. The voter has no obligation, under the law, to tell Franken whether or not they voted for him. Republican efforts at suppressing the vote is extreme and having valid absentee ballots rejected because the person voted for Franken is NOT a valid reason to reject a ballot.
p.s. To Joe Green,
Franken is not trying to see who the people vited for. he is only trying to see why their ballots were rejected. These votes were never tallied or counted. Noone knows who they voted for, because the ballots were declared invalid, and set aside without being counted. Franken is simply trying to see why they were declared invalid. This is not rocket science people!!!
p.s. I hope franken loses, and I think he will, but he has legal rights to pursue this issue.
Coleman is afraid that Franken is going to win because most of the undervotes are in democratic counties, which is entirely possible.....
Not all Texans dislike Al. I like him and I think he is standing up to make sure all legal votes are counted. How does Norm know the rejected ballots were not cast for him? BTW, Acorn only fills out voter registrations. Someone still has to show up with a legal ID and vote.
Wendy,
Everything in Texas is bigger and better. Texas' economy is good and everything about Texas is good. We do not seem to have the problems the rest of the country suffers. I guess us idiot's must be doing something right.
I guess you said that in support of Al Franken. Hmmm who is the idiot?
Hang in there AL – the republicans have been stealing elections for 8 years. Let's put an end to it this year.
When if ever will we see some truthfulness from the people that write on these blogs??????
This is why Georgia has a runoff election when one candidate receives
less than 50 percent of the vote. Why can't we get more uniformity in the way elections are run?
'Joe Green' you, like most of the idiot republican's that post here, talk a lot but know nothing.
1) The signature on an Absentee Ballot is cross checked
2) The right to vote is a 'long honored tradition' but, seeing as you are stupid, you fail to realise that the absentee ballots this article refers to HAVEN'T BEEN COUNTED. Ergo the people in question have had 'their right to vote' taken away. If you voted and for some reason your vote was discarded wouldn't you want to know this fact? Not to mention wanting to know WHY it wasn't counted. What your post basically says is you prefer to have an anonymous vote which is then discarded than be contacted by someone and actually have your vote count.
3. Franken has not 'thrown a wrench in the works'. He has just asked for details of rejected absentee ballots – regardless of whether he gets the details the recount will still go ahead as planned.
OK, this is ridiculous.
ALL politicians are power hungry.
It's a prerequisite for the job.
And no one has won OR lost.
That's the point.
If absentee ballots aren't getting counted correctly, that's an issue that needs to be addressed.
And I'm neither Democrat nor Republican, so partisanship plays no part in this at all for me.
I think it's ridiculous that absentee ballots are only counted in a "close call."
ALL votes should be counted; otherwise, why should any of us bother?
Count every vote! This is America, not some banana republic in the third world.
Count them all, one disenfranchised voter is too many!
Voter caging and purging is a Republican dirty trick!
Acting in any way to disallow a legitimate vote is unpatriotic, abhorrent, and un-american!
True patriots would count everyones vote. If you don't want to count them all, move to a country that doesn't have elections!
Don't let this guy and the democrats in Minnesota steal this election. Al is a freakin clown looking for a golden parachute! Minnesota we can do better than that!
Keep up the good fight! I know yo uwon this election and I hope you make them count every single vote!
We need you in the Senate and it is so exciting that you will be there.
I honestly cannot fathom what is in the minds of the people that voted for that washed-up commedian, failed talk-show host, and sore loser. What is in the air up there?
Joe Green
The registered voter list, with your address and if you voted and what party you listed when you registered are all part of the public record.
The campaigns all have this information.
So asking for a list of the absentee ballots they rejected is not giving out any more information than who cast ballots that got rejected.
AL FRANKEN IS A GIFTED MAN, HE GRADUATED FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY IN 1973,. HE LOVES OUR COUNTRY AND SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.
HIS FATHER WAS A SALESMAN.
HIS DAUGHTER IS A SCHOOL TEACHER.
HIS SON IS AN AUTOMOVILE ENGINEER.
I LOVE THIS MAN, HE IS SMART AND DOWN -TO- EARTH.
GO AL GO !
As a Democrat I hope Franken wins the election but from what I've read, he's run a very dirty campaign and that made me lose alot of respect for him.
As a Democrat I hope Franken wins the election but from what I've read, he's run a very nasty campaign and that made me lose alot of respect for him.
GO Al, keep on keeping on.
Since I'm not Al Franken nor anyone who will ever run for office and can therefore speak my mind freely, let me say this; Norm Coleman is the most pure sort of scumbag there ever was in US politics. He was a Bush puppet inserted into the U.S. Senate immediately following what was simultaneously the most suspicious and yet most-ignored-by-the-mainstream-media plane crash in American history. So, when rumours fly about he and his Bush cronies possbly being up to something less than respectable during this recount, you had best believe it.
People in Minnesota don't even like Franken. I have voted Democratic most of my life and couldn't even muster up a vote for him. He should let it go. Where is he from anyway?
Franken doesn't deserve to serve in any capacity as a representative to our country. He is a very hateful man that likes to make fun of people in cruel ways. Heck, he was a terrible comedian, why does he think he could serve as a Senator. Let it go and stop looking in people's car trunks for votes. Is that where ACORN was hiding them???
Go Al! Don't let them suppress the will of the people by cheating !
Since 2000 we don't trust this anymore .... make everything transparent there should be no need for lawyers but if one must go there go there.
Thank you.
I always vote absentee and I would be real mad if i found out my vote wasn't counted. People have a right to know about stuff like that.
How can anyone possibly be for Franken?? This guy has no business even running for public office. Even Democrats can't be this desperate!
What is to me quite significant, is that whenever arguments about voter and vote eligibility are joined (not just in this Minnesota case but in Alaska right now, and nationally leading all the way up to the election), it is ALWAYS the Democratic side that is arguing for INCLUSION of voters, and ALWAYS the Republican side that is arguing for EXCLUSION of voters. Worth thinking about, I believe.
Just count the votes and let's get this thing over with.......may the best man win!
And, BTW, I know it's a bit off-subject and I don't live in Minnesota, but......how in this world did Michelle Bachmann get re-elected to the US House of Representatives from Minnesota? Disappointing and amazing!
Every valid vote must count. We don't want Republicans to use 'pregnant chads' excuses any more. The recount was be done slowly and heavily scrutinised by all concerned parties.
Voter November 13th, 2008 6:22 pm ET
The GOP doesn't understand what Democracy means. Purging & suppressing voters in 5 states and Stevens in Alaska trying to prevent 90k ballots from being counted… now that they're being counted, he's losing! haha
Oh, the repubs understand democracy. It is the liberals that hate and fear democracy.
Democrats and voter fraud – what a concept. It is sad when an idiot likr Franken has to resort to voter fraud to win.
Truely sad indeed.
Hey Joe Green you do not get it.
Federal law only requires you to prove who you are, when you register to vote, not when you vote. So if an old signature does not match well, and you did not vote at you polling station, the absentee ballot should count, absent of other proven facts or evidence. Furthermore, when they do not count you ballot, the election officials do not let you know.
Voting absentee and having your ballot not counted, in cases like this, is being guilty until proven innocent. And Al as an interested party, does not want to be disenfranchised, I.E. Florida Bush v. Gore, then who takes up the charge?
Voting is a right. Paying taxes is compulsory. Yet the Guvment gives 90% of tax payers at least 2 and 1/2 months to do so, and on line. If you current signature did not match an older one, they will still cash the check.
Is all that the democrats can being in is comedians what a joke,
Didn't the Wise Men bring Gold, Mhyrr, and FRANKEN?
Run Al run!!
Pretending that Acorn had anything to do with the outcome of the election is intellectually violent.
I'm not big on recounts, but I live in MN and Coleman is a scumbag. Any effort to get rid of him has my full support.
The fact that Franken's campaign is concentrating on counties that typically favor Democrats instead of giving equal attention to all counties DOES show that this is about winning, not about fighting for people's right to have their votes counted.
And I am also surprised only 2 other people mentioned the fact that you don't need to release names and addresses to the campaigns to make sure things are done right.
Minnesota law requries a recount. The Republican candidate doesn't want to follow the law. The Democrat candidate wants to follow the law.
Why is anyone surprized?
Go get 'em, Al! Seems as though the Republicans are all alike, as are their attorneys. I bet you end up winning this seat!
I am amazed at the comments suggesting Franken would steal or cheat or that he's desperate. The Americans are desperate for true leadership..we've been starved for 8 years under GOP control. Franken has every right per law an dper fairness to proceed with a recount as it already has yielded a closer margin. If there is a denial of access to votes by recklessly invalidating absentee ballotts..then that needs to be reconciled or the process becomes more tainted..and whoever wins has a cloud of fraud over them.
I am amazed at the comments suggesting Franken would steal or cheat or that he's desperate. The Americans are desperate for true leadership..we've been starved for 8 years under GOP control. Franken has every right per law an dper fairness to proceed with a recount as it already has yielded a closer margin. If there is a denial of access to votes by recklessly invalidating absentee ballotts..then that needs to be reconciled or the process becomes more tainted..and whoever wins has a cloud of fraud over them.
Again, we see how the GOP tries to disenfranchise eligible voters so they can try to retain a politcal seat. I hope the Minnesota Sec. of State does the right thing and accepts the absentee ballots of those voters called into question for very marginal reasons. Democracy outweighs the neurotic penchant the GOP has for overscrutinizing eligible voters across the country......Very sad.
TO CLOSE FOR COMFORT !
200 VOTES OUT OF TWO AND HALF A MILLION VOTES AMOUNTS TO LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF A PERCENT (<< ONE THOUSANDTH).
WHY COLMAN DOES NOT WANT A RECOUNT? OBVIOUSLY HE FEARS TO LOSE.
FRANKEN HAS A RIGHT, BY STATE LAW FOR RECOUNT AND LOOK INTO VOTES REJECTION PROCESS. IF NUMBER OF SUCH REJECTION WERE EQUAL AFFECTING THE CANDIDATES THEN ONE CAN SAY THAT THE BOARD HAS ACTED FAIRLY. BUT IF IT FAVORS COLMAN THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM..
ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE DIFFERENCIAL BETWEEN THE VOTES CAST FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND SENATE CANDIDATES. THE BALLOTES THAT SCREENERS HAVE NOT DETECTED A SENATE VOTE SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND CHECKED. (LOOK ALSO FOR PENCIL ERASER MARKS HAHA )
My signature was checked against my drivers license when I voted. So yes they do check.
Politics is a bloodsport, and Franken is no different from any other man. I hope he wins, the GOP deserves to lose because they're losers.
Go Al Franken.
I wish a different Al had been so persistent in Florida in 2000 . . . . the world would be a different place.
Why would anyone vote for frankenstien?
Keep fighting Al make sure all our votes are counted
How can absentee ballots be riding around in the trunk of a car?
Hasn't obama sent acorn there yet?
You go Franken,,, Just like the other big whiner.... Al Gore!!!
Why would anybody say Franken is being a sore loser or is trying to steal the election? An automatic recount is being triggered by law because the difference in votes like like 0.01%.
He may have won anyway, but this is an effort to make sure there's no disenfranchisement going on.
Nice to see the anti-Franken "Democrats" here. I guess that Operation Chaos has a new project going!
Al Franken should file suit to affirm he is too ignorant and incapable of holding a county commissioner's seat, much more a US Senate seat.
Furthermore, given some of the results of this election, there is an ever strenghtening testament for a Mandatory Voter Competency Test and ID Card.
Isn't that a part of the socialist agenda, ACORN? Strategize the vote?
I do not want another election tied up in the courts!
I do not like Franken and did not vote for him. Of course, I could say the same for Coleman.
The whole thing stinks to high heaven.
Mrs. Palin calling from a Miami Sportsbar is convinced that the signs in the sun, the moons, and the stars should be imminent.
What is most bothersome about this is that it will cost the people of Minnesota money to find out something that in the end will not prevent the need or the run-off.
I would have thought Al Franken a bit more considerate of his constituency given today's economy.
"I am concerned that someone would give out my name and address to a political campaign when I vote, either by regular or absentee ballot."
Sorry, Joe Green, this is BS. The names of people who have voted is a matter of public record. Keeping the ballot secret is about keeping the actual choices secret, not the fact of voting.
AL Franken?
You've got ot be kidding!!
Please Franken, do not give up because you are the voice of the people.
Al Franken is such a douche. Have you heard that now he thinks every vote for Obama should also be a vote for him? It's pathetic that he is the best the dems in Minnesota could come up with. It's even more pathetic that so many morons here are supporting him just because he's a democrat.
STICK IN THERE MR. FRANKIN. THE REPUBS ARE SO INTO VOTE STEALING. IT IS HARD TO TELL HOW MANY BALLOTS THAT THEY THREW OUT, SUCH AS THE LADY THAT HAD A STROKE. I'M NOT FROM THAT STATE, BUT FAIR IS FAIR. LET IT ALL COME OUT.
WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THE VOTER FRAUD FROM THE REPUBS. BOTH TERMS THAT BUSH GOT IN WAS A BIG SHAM. BUBBA TOLD HIM HE WOULD DELIVER FLORIDA AND BETWEEN HIM AND THE SUPREME COURT, THEY DID. COUNT AND RECOUNT, GET IT RIGHT.
Typical Democrat. If you can't win at the polls go to court.
GO FRANKEN.......WIN!
I want to comment on the previous article "GOP governors unhappy....." well DUH! I just saw a clip from Palin's governor's conference speech....... my GOD how does this woman keep getting in front of a mic??? SHE IS such a poor speaker and worse at being interviewed..... she doesn't make sense......... but.......hey, go ahead and put her in for 2012!
We will be thrilled to have Palin up against President OBAMA!
google george galloway and norm coleman and read the transcription
of the knock down drag out they had several years ago. you will understand that the real comedian of a senator is norm coleman.even
better if you can still find the video of it, because just reading the words
cannot do justice to the way it was delivered by george galloway. the reason you don't know about this peice of information...cnn did not tell you,fox did not tell you,cbs did not tell you,abc did not tell you,nbc did not tell you.... because they are all right wing,republican, conservative
neocon networks...duh!,i know!
Give it up we have not sunk so low as needing a comedian in government. We have enough jokes in hte White House.
Yes, a real candidate would have been a much better choice than a comedian. Just as the founders envisioned, we should encourage professional politicians to spend their entire lives ruling the country, instead of having individuals with some different perspective standing up in a time of need.
Oh, wait...
Franken used to write jokes. Now he is one.
It is a constitutional right to have your vote counted regardless of your political affiliation. Al Franken's campaign is 100% correct in requesting that these ballots are sought after to determine if they were correctly rejected.
How about we all stop complaining about a law mandated recount and efforts to actually get people's votes counted. After that, fix the whole registration and election process (this really shouldn't be one of our problems yet somehow it is because it allows politicians wiggle room and they are the only ones who put through the laws to fix it). Then, get rid of voter registration groups like ACORN. Not that I'm one of those people who think ACORN stole the election because that is just silly. No evidence exists that ACORN encouraged its people to turn in fraudulent registrations, attempted to stonewall any investigations into their practices, or that any actual votes came in that resulted in these fraudulent registrations. However, these organizations shouldn't exist anyway. Finding information on how to register in your area is not hard and the actual process of going through with it isn't hard either. I registered as soon as I turned 18 which was almost a decade ago. It's not hard. If you don't care enough to register yourself without people prompting you then you don't care enough to make an informed decision when you vote anyway. There are already enough uninformed people voting right now anyway. I don't want your ill-informed or "on a whim" vote counted even if its for a candidate I support.
IT SEEMS THAT THE COLMAN'S CREW HAS LEARNED VERY WELL FROM KARL /DICK/BUSH TYPE OF POLITICS. COUNT ALL THE VALID VOTES. IT SEEMS THAT SOME OF THOSE IN MINN. HAVE FORGOTTEN THE "VOTING RIGHTS ACT". BUT THEN TO, THE REPUBLICANS PARTY HAVE BEEN MAKING UP THEIR OWN RULES SINCE GB JR. HAS BEEN IN OFFICE. AL FIGHT THEM TO THE END. THERE IS AN OLD SOUTHERN SAYING - "IF YOU KEEP STIRRING THE SMOKING LOGS EVENTUALLY ONE WILL FIND FIRE". OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW IF ONE DIGS DEEP ENOUGH EVENTUALLY ONE WILL HIT PAY DIRT IN ANY POLITICIAN ELECTION. IT IS THE AMOUNT OF PAY DIRT THAT WILL AWAKE THAT STATE AND OUR NATION. TO MANY OF US THAT FOUGHT FOR THOSE RIGHTS OF THE VOTING REMAINS ON THE NUMBER "ONE".
How ironic that this election is farcical. Sort of like the SNL skits Franken was involved in.. The jokester is now the joke.
Good lord, is this Somalia?? Why the heck does Franken have to sue to get data that should obviously be available to the candidate??
Go for it Al. If you won it then it will come out in the wash...
Give 'em heck, Al!
When a third candidate gets more than 10% of the vote, it is a clear sign that the candidates of the major parties are less than competant.
No matter who wins this race in 2012, a real candidate will beat the victor in 2018.
Al is all for making votes public. The information on a person's ballot is private and NOT to made public. This is a complete attempt at violating voting laws.
Good for Al!!! It's high time that someone started questioning the basis for disallowing ballots. The reality is that any one of us could have been required to submit a provisional ballot, and we'd never know if our ballot was lter counted or not. If someone doesn't start asking questions about which ballots are being tossed out and the basis for that decision, then there is no way to be certain that our votes were fairly counted.
I should think that Norm Colman would want to know the same thing. After all, it's possible that ballots were unfairly tossed out that might have favored him.
Don't give up, Al! 200 vote difference is too small to believe! I would fight to check every vote accepted or rejected.
Al Franken is a brilliant political mind.... intelligent like Obama! He would make a wonderful Senator.
Comedians of the political satire genre are very often extremely intelligent.... I am referencing Steven Colbert, Jon Stewart, and John Maher.... I place Franken right in their with all of them. Brilliant minds!
Hey EW,
8 years of Bush, Cheney and Rove is what happened.
Al Gore won the election before, and modestly stepped aside "for the good of the country". C'mon, now - Republicans are famous for stealing elections - it's time to stop stepping aside and letting the bullies win. COUNT ALL THE VOTES HONESTLY, and let the chips fall where they may.
And by the way, anyone who has ever heard Al on talk radio, or read "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" know he is a knowledgeable candidate with a sense of humor, not just a celebrity.
Voter at 6:30 :
"If the Democrats had run a REAL candidate instead of a comedian this race would be over."
You automatically lose that argument with the mere mention of the name George W Bush. Comedian, indeed....
At least Al Franken was aware he was making jokes....
Al Gore won the election before, and modestly stepped aside "for the good of the country". C'mon, now - Republicans are famous for stealing elections - it's time to stop stepping aside and letting the bullies win. COUNT ALL THE VOTES HONESTLY, and let the chips fall where they may.
And by the way, anyone who has ever heard Al on talk radio, or read "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" know he is a knowledgeable candidate with a sense of humor, not just a celebrity.
Stand in there and fight, Al. Everyone knows the Republicans reputation with close elections - don't give in an inch. Keep 'em honest!
give it up Franken. You know nothing about being a senator. Go back to telling bad jokes.
Hold on.... that was Bill Maher.... much as I enjoy the music of John Mayer, I don't suggest he is a political satirist.... I hope I spelled that right..... I am that tired.... it all looks weird to me!
Don't trust them Mr. Franken!
The 206 votes that Coleman have over you were probably written in crayola! Stay on their tails and force them to do the right thing. Hire a secret agent to monitor the paper trail, and to keep their Inspector Gadgets honest!
Roger Hart.... nothing the Bush/Cheney administration does would surprise me in the least..... and I think everything they do from here on out had better be scrutinized (spelling again....
... dang) The sentiment is the same, spelled right or not! There is something down right evil about this administration... they have behaved obscenely the last 8 years.... no way of getting around it!
Annie, never again a dem.... trust me, you never were a dem! May a dim wit.... but not a Dem.... *LOL* sorry... I could not resist! Stupidity does that to me..:))
Al Gore set the precedent for this...recount until you win. Accept the fact you lost...just like Gore.