Franken Loses Crucial Ruling in Minnesota Recount
(CNN) - Minnesota's Canvassing Board voted unanimously to reject Franken's request to include thousands of absentee ballots that are not included in the recount in the Minnesota senate race between the Democratic challenger and Republican incumbent Norm Coleman.
The Canvassing Board, which oversees the recount, stressed during a hearing today, that they weren't rejecting the merits made by Franken's attorneys. The panel also indicated that the fight over the exclusion of the absentee ballots from the recount will most likely land in court. Some 12,000 absentee ballots were rejected from the initial vote count because of technicalities and errors.
Franken's campaign argued that the ballots were wrongly rejected. Coleman's team said the board doesn't have the authority to include the disputed ballots in the recount.
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OK – I'm concerned. When I go and cast my vote, what innocent no-no can I commit to make my ballot NOT count? From now on, we need to be instructed by the polling officials when we're at the polls to make sure we do whatever it is that makes a ballot legitimate, and nothing that could come in to question so our ballot is tossed. Not all of these ballots are from the old and or infirmed.
If you are too stupid to figure out how to Mark a ballot , you are too stupid to vote in the 1st place.
So, whats wrong with the absintee ballots? What are the technical problems with the votes?
In this election year, many many people voted absentee. It's not fair that they would not be counted/recounted. 12,000 is a lot of votes in such a close election.
How can this country that's had a democracy for so many years have such a tough time getting all the votes counted?
Chris November 26th, 2008 12:32 pm ET
Thank you for pointing out the idiocy of those who are constantly degrading the younger generations of this country.
To those people who think you can't make a wise decision until you're over 65 years old, WE THANK YOU FOR OUR ENORMOUS DEBT, ISOLATIONISM, DEREGULATION, UNSAFE FOODS & DRUGS, JOBLESSNESS, INFLATION, AND GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION. YOU ARE TRULY THE WISE AMONG US! WE SHOULD KEEP THINGS AS THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN D.C., BECAUSE YOU SAID SO!
well i guess the stupid democrats didnt steal this one
Coleman has served the people well and should be allowed to continue to do so - Finalize the count without bogus votes and lets move on!
For those criticizing and saying "if their too stupid to use the vote correctly they shouldn't be allowed to vote.
I see it differently. Thousands of technicalities in just one state election. If they’re too stupid to be able to read the ballot, then maybe they shouldn’t be on the elections board.
I was a poll worker, I turned away plenty of people. Yes, it's true the law says that they have to get a provisional ballot, but I told them it they have to fill out a long form and then their vote probably wouldn't count anyway. So, most of them just left. If they couldn't make sure their registration and everything was perfect before coming to vote, I don't think they deserve to vote. I think there needs to be more education in our public schools and especially in the black community about , because all the people I turned away were black.
THANK GOD!!!!!
I find it hilarious that Liberals want to count the absentee ballots in this case but they refused to count the hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots cast by American soldiers serving overseas during the 2004 election. Hypocrites
Well if these people are too stupid to follow directions on voting they must be DUMB REDNECKS and we all know they have to be Republicans so that means that those votes should be counted toward Coleman. So us REDNECKS win because the educated Democrats would know how to do a simple task like voting.
Funny how most of you who are caliming evil Republicans are behind this haven't been paying attention to the race at all. I find it interesting how Franken has closed the lead when they were counting absentee ballotss before the recount...he was catching up to coleman, yet no other state race was changing...at all...inteesting...
This is madness. I think your gov't needs to talk to our gov't about what it takes to run a smooth election.
This is why people should go to the polls to vote or else their votes won't be counted. So much for every vote counts.
That's weak...yes pitiful that the Republicans seem to always rely on NOT counting votes to win elections.
I have NO confidence in absentee voting any longer. What defines technical problem or "glitches". Moreover how do the citizens know? I'm sure the ballot is tossed and the voter is never told it got rejected.
Dan, TX...worst poll worker ever.
If Franken loses maybe Obama can put him in his cabinet as at the court jester. LOL
Oh.... HOW SWEET THE MEMORIES ARE OF THE 2000 ELECTION!
MN Resident here:
As it stands now we do not have a voter fraud issue, the perceived problem is trying to pull in votes that are not acceptable under current voting guidelines. It is against the law to change the voting process after the election has occurred. If any changes to the process were to be made, they had to be made somewhere in the realm of 60-90 days prior to the election. Both Norm Coleman & Al Franken agreed to the voting process ahead of time, and now Franken wants to change that process after voting has already taken place. This is why the absentee ballots that were "Erroneous" cannot be counted one way or another. Better luck next time Franken the funny man.
@ Dan, TX
Seriously, and you are proud of that fact? I certainly hope you are no where near poll places anymore, what a jerk.
For your information...30-m-PA-Democrat-voted McCain said "Which party decided not to count millions of votes in the FL and MI primaries????!!!!"
The government (DNC and RNC) in those states moved the primary elections and they knew that moving those elections that those votes will not make a difference in the primaries. So do not blame one party or the other because they were both involved.
And to top it off, there are rules to be followed.
Absentee voting is another issue. These votes SHOULD be counted!!!
Hey Sherrol in Canada,
After your done showing us how to run an election, could you please also show us how to give everyone health care, educate our people, give civil rights back, and most importantly show us how to be a peaceful nation once and for all!!!
Dream of a better day,
Brian from Wisconsin
Who needs rules and regulations? Let every vote count, Mickey's, Minnie's, the Dallas Cowboy's etc. we want Al Franken.
Jeff in Illinois obviously doesn't live in the same Illinois that I do. Democrats have run this state into the ground. We have a zombie problem too, at least on election day. Never too dead to vote in Illinois!
Nothing happens in Illinois without Richard Daley's approval.