Posted on 01/05/2009 4:12:21 PM PST by MplsSteve
Dear Supporter,
As you may have read or heard by now, today the Minnesota State Canvassing Board met and made their determination in the U.S. Senate Recount, effectively proving that the only declaration coming today is one of an inaccurate count.
There are a number of problems with the total certified today, including double counted votes, over 650 potentially wrongly rejected absentee votes, resulting in the disenfranchising of Minnesota voters and jeopardizing the integrity of Minnesota's election system.
Harry Reid and national Democrats have now publicly said they will try to seat Al Franken tomorrow when the 111th Congress convenes and new members are sworn in. This action, the very first action of the 111th Congress and the new Democrat leadership that campaigned on a theme of bipartisanship, will result in an historic political power play done at the behest of Al Franken. Minnesotans have the right to elect their own elected officials, just like every other state in the country, and this stunning move by Al Franken and Harry Reid strips Minnesotans of that right.
Please click here to help us continue to fight to ensure that every valid vote counts.
Coleman for Senate counsel Tony Trimble made the following statement this afternoon, raising the serious concerns our campaign has raised consistently during the recount process, and signaling our intent to file an election contest within the next 24 hours:
The actions today by the Canvassing Board are but the first step in what, unfortunately, will now have to be a longer process. This process isn't at the end; it is now just at the beginning.
We will contest the results of the Canvassing Board -- otherwise, literally millions of Minnesotans will be disenfranchised.
While we appreciate the effort of this board to do the work, the reality is that any certification of vote totals at this point is only preliminary. As this Canvassing Board has recognized, there still exist serious problems with inconsistencies in the administrative recount, and therefore in the validity and reliability of the numbers certified today.
There can be no count that is accurate or valid when 654 potentially valid absentee votes remain disenfranchised and when some votes are counted twice - leading to a violation of one of the most sacred principles of our constitution - "One person, One vote."
And, there can be no justification to report out a total when 133 votes were included in a count where there are not ballots to support them. Or when a batch of votes were not counted on Election Night, but were miraculously "found" during the recount and included.
If the Canvassing Board had resolved all these issues, then the process might be completed. But the Board has deferred the resolution of those issues for the contest phase provided for in Minnesota law.
Since the process is far from complete, there can be no confidence in the current results of the United States Senate Recount, and we will file a contest within the next 24 hours to promptly correct those problems and inaccuracies. The Supreme Court ruling today also emphasizes that that's what we must do to provide an accurate count for this election.
Senator Coleman is adamant that we not wait a moment longer than necessary to ensure that the election be completed with accuracy and validity - and most importantly, without disenfranchising Minnesota voters or having a cloud remain over the results.
The utter lack of uniformity in the treatment of rejected absentee ballots, resulting in the disenfranchising of voters, is perhaps the most troublesome aspect of the recount.
Similar ballots were treated differently by different counties. This creates an Equal Protection violation that fatally taints any result that includes these ballots.
This was precisely what the Minnesota Supreme Court order said to avoid.
Unfortunately, with this announcement today, numerous Minnesotans will be wrongly disenfranchised because their votes are not counted. Mr. Franken and his campaign for purely political reasons no longer want to "count all the votes".
And, it is with great disappointment that we've seen senior members of the Secretary of State's Office contributing to the process being broken.
When senior members of the Secretary of State's office, charged with ensuring a fair and balanced process, engage in acts which undermine that neutrality, all of us must be concerned.
The fact is the Canvassing Board's current totals are invalid and unreliable because:
· Original and duplicate ballots have been double counted - even members of the Canvassing Board acknowledge this is a serious issue, yet nothing was resolved - instead, double counted votes were simply added to their recount totals.
· Newly discovered ballots, which appeared for the first time during the recount and are included in the Canvassing Board totals without proper reconciliation to the number of voters signed into the precincts on Election Day.
· Missing ballots supposedly tallied on election night that could not be found during the recount process are included in the Canvassing Board count contrary to Minnesota precedent.
· And again, an inconsistent treatment of challenged ballots - an inconsistent treatment of wrongfully rejected absentee ballots - and an inconsistent treatment of the campaign by the very office charged with coordinating this recount simply results in a process that is broken.
The recount was supposed to be a recount - fair and reasoned - and one that would retain the credibility of the outcome of this election.
However, it ceased being that the day that duplicate ballots and "missing ballots" were included in the count, and simply became more and more broken each and every day.
We had hoped that the board would refrain from reporting out with unanimity a recount total today. Since that did not happen, we will file an election contest within the next 24 hours.
It will be based upon the issues I have outlined, as well as the lack of inclusion of 654 additional ballots that we believe should be a part of this recount and the very serious issue of included double counted votes that disenfranchises Minnesotans.
Our goal and obligation should be to get an accurate and valid vote as quickly as possible, and that is our reason for acting with urgency. Minnesotans ought to be able to expect that an accurate and valid recount would have ensured two United States Senators from Minnesota tomorrow. However, because the process is broken that will not happen.
We strongly believe that every valid vote must be counted. We have called for that principle to be the basis of this entire recount process, and we will not stop now. We firmly believe that once that happens, just like on election night, Norm Coleman will have the most votes in this close race, and be re-elected to the United States Senate. We know- all too well- that it has been a long road, and we value your friendship, advice and support throughout the campaign and recount.
We need your continued help as we move forward with an election contest to ensure the sanctity of Minnesota's election process. Please click here to continue supporting our efforts, and to help us maintain a strong, knowledgeable and skilled team carrying this effort forward.
Let’s not trouble ourselves...... “equal protection” under law does not apply to Republicans, not even to RINOs like Coleman, or to those who vote for Republicans.
If the Democrats cared about EP under these circumstances the outcome would have been different.
Given the choice between a RINO and a...whatever the hell that other thing is...I’ll take the RINO any day.
That’s the problem. It’s too late now.
The rationale behind Bush v Gore was that an arbitrary recount would cause irreparable harm to Bush and was unconstitutional.
Coleman has allowed the arbitrary recount to proceed to a finality. He could have locked this thing up when the canvassing board started double counting “missing” ballots. But he didn’t, all in the name of milquetoast magnanimity. Even the Republican Supreme Court Justice on the canvassing panel said the count was totally bogus. But he said he couldn’t do anything because his wife stole his testes on his wedding night, and he can’t sleep without his warm milk before bed time now.
Meanwhile, Ms America Nancy Pelosi is changing all the House rules to crush any influence the Republicans have on legislation. Next, I would look for Dingy Harry to use the nuclear option to end filibusters in the Senate for good, or change the rules to require only 55 votes to end debate.
Dems play hard ball. The exercise the full extent of their power and then some. Its too bad that Republicans have allowed the media to own them and control their decision making. If they would have played hard ball, and showed some balls, they wouldn’t be in this situation.
You KNOW that this is what happened.
otherwise, literally millions of Minnesotans will be disenfranchised.
you silly, silly man..don’t you know only democrats can be disenfranchised?? /s
what are the PEOPLE of MINN saying?
hundreds of thousands voted republican or independent.
Even if you’re correct, it’s no reason to surrender. Don’t make it easy for the bastards to cheat.
I want the rightful senator to be seated and I do not believe it is Freaken. Democrats are notorious election stealers. Their MO is to get it close and then count until they win. Nothing new here. It must be stopped!!!
DNC, ACORN, Soros money bought the re-count. This is absolutely shameful. However, why was it even that close? MN UNIONS.
"It doesn't matter who votes. What matters is who counts the votes" - Joseph Stalin
Um.....let's call what the dems "exercise" in their pursuit of power what it REALLY is....utter corruption and lawlessness that has brought this country to it's knees.
Correct, and there is precedence ("settled law"?) from Bush v. Gore upholding a 14th Amendment Equal Protection claim in state election recounts.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Never surrender! Aw-shucks is a pathetic answer to tyranny.
Yes, in a sane world.....
No. Defeat RINOs in the primaries. In general elections RINOs always preferable to Dems and particularly preferable in this case to Al Franken. Politics is about comparative choices. Always.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
“Um.....let’s call what the dems “exercise” in their pursuit of power what it REALLY is....utter corruption and lawlessness that has brought this country to it’s knees.”
Point granted. But what has brought the country to its knees is Republican complicity and incompetence in the fight. If this were properly fought against with equal vigor as the Democrats bring, we would be much better off.
But instead, conservatives are told they are wrong and to go stand in the corner. There has not been the necessary battle and purge in the Republican party to bring about a return to power.
Of course we don’t even know what a Republican return to power would mean since several have jumped on the Socialism bandwagon.
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