Posted on 11/26/2008 8:44:16 AM PST by MplsSteve
The State Canvassing Board, a panel of five arbiters charged with determining the winner in the overtime election tussle between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, unanimously voted this morning to deny the Franken campaign's request that rejected absentee ballots be included in the recount.
During the discussion, the board members stressed that they weren't rejecting the merits of the arguments made by Franken's attorneys. They also made it clear they expect the issue to be litigated separately from the recount procedure.
Also this morning, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who chairs the Canvassing Board, said that attorneys from each campaign have said they can find a way to trim the pile of ballots being challenged in counties across the state. Combined, the two sides are so far contesting more than 3,600 ballots.
"This would be a very great benefit to the Canvassing Board and the citizens of the state," Ritchie said early on at the board's meeting this morning.
Tuesday night, the Coleman campaign said that its senior counsel, Fritz Knaak, acknowledged in a fax to the Franken campaign that observers for both sides were being overly aggressive in challenging ballots "in a mounting game of ballot challenging that serves no useful purpose."
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
I hasten to add that it's temporary good news as it seems obvious that Franken's attorneys will go to court to get some of the rejected absentee ballots counted.
But nonetheless, it was refreshing to see the Canvassing Board stick to what their job responsibilities are and not go beyond that.
Comments or opinions - anyone?
Whew!
WELCOME TO FREE REPUBLIC’S MINNESOTA PING LIST!
117 MEMBERS AND GROWING...!
FREEPMAIL ME IF YOU WANT ON OR OFF THIS LIST!
I’m cautiously optimistic for Norm Coleman at this point. Cautiously.
So, in other words, the canvassing board, knowing full well that this will wind up in the courts anyway, accomplished nothing.
Buckpassing.
A desperate attempt to get the overall, released tally in their favor for PR purposes. They realize that the public now sees this as a Coleman victory, and need to posted recount numbers to show in their favor, even artificially, even if it means challenging 5000 ballots on the last day to do it.
Me too. Concerned, but optimistic.
....but then I just repeat what you already posted. LOL!
Never mind....
Don’t we all know what’s going to happen here? Just like Florida. When Franken looses the first recount, they’ll challenge it and say, “no no, let’s just recount in the Democrat leaning areas ... “. Then attempt to recount until they get enough votes for Franken to win and then want to quit counting.
Now up by 243
It’s not a Senator, it’s Frankenfraud’s monster.
Yay!! Go Norm!
I know all Minnesotans will be awfully glad when this is
over and they can put it behind them and move on....or
it’s gonna be a very looooong winter!
I think everyone has had ENOUGH of this from the left. This is poisoning the whole election process. I’m not as up on the laws as probably most of you are. What ,if anything, is being done to stop this before the next election in 2011?
I swear, this is ridiculous. Come on Coleman!!!!
Striking resemblance!!! Franken needs to go back to comedy.
Franken stunk at comedy. That's why he became known as a "satirist", which is a smirking way of saying "comedian who isn't funny".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.