Democratic candidate Al Franken now holds a 50 vote lead over Republican Sen. Norm Coleman with almost all of the counting in Minnesota’s Senate race done.
Franken’s lead grew by a few votes on Tuesday when the state Canvassing Board finished allocating thousands of ballots that had been held up due to candidate challenges.
Coleman’s hopes now ride on a pool of uncounted absentee ballots that will be opened before next week. The size of that pile is in dispute but it is thought to be around 1,350. Coleman’s campaign wants to add 650 more to the stack.
Even if the board declares a winner next week, the race won’t be over. The losing party is expected to challenge the outcome in court.
A few weeks ago, everyone was talking about how the wrongly rejected absentees were likely to favor Franken. Now the AP is reporting that those same ballots are Coleman’s best shot at winning. That means Norm doesn’t have much of a shot at all.
From what I can gather from http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/36877849.html is that Coleman has found some 650+ rejected absentee ballots that we rejected correctly under the law for voting in person, registration problems or signature problems, but these rejected ballots were from areas where he/Coleman had a strong majority. On the other side he does not want counted pretty muchany of the improperly rejected (i.e. legal) ballots from any part of the state where he did not have a clear majority of the regular vote. THAT’S his only chance. Reality? I think it’s just more delay tactics, delaying as long as they can having Franken declared the winner just in case some drops in their lap that gives them any sort of legal argument.
I’m making this comment now just as I made it when Coleman had a lead after the initial ballot count:
Will we ever feel good about an election that was won by 6/1000 of 1%? It is what it is. There will forever be what-ifs surrounding the 2008 Minnesota Senate Election. I usually wish for my candidate to win, but I also wish for a decisive election. For example, I voted for McCain, but he was soundly defeated. Obama is clearly the people’s choice, so I wholeheartedly support him as President. With this Senate election, though, we will always be left wondering.
Years like this make me favor a runoff. Undecided on the Georgia model vs. IRV, but I’d feel better about the Senator we send to DC, regardless of who it is, if there was a decisive margin of victory.
DtM
I will feel good if EVERY legally cast ballot is counted, whether the win is decisive or not.
The way Coleman is gaming the system should make EVERY democratic minded person absolutely incensed. I look forward to an appeal to the SCoMN after Coleman’s bad-faith shenanigans.
Throughout American democratic history a single vote can determine an election. There has never been a requirement for anything but a single vote difference and now is no time to try and start such malarky. If anything this points out that whoever finally is declared the winner, that Senator has long way to go to convince his opponents supporters that during the 6 year term he represents ALL Minnesotans. You know that if he doesn’t he is gone in the next election.
“now is no time to try and start such malarky”
Ah, but that’s how “moderates” like DtM can maintain their “credibility.”
I’m not arguing that the requirement is something other than winning by one or more votes. I totally agree.
I’m saying that with a margin of victory of one-half of one-thousdandth of one-percent, how will we ever be able to feel good that one candidate won outright? I think we agree that the system only works when the will of the people can carry the day. Whether Franken holds this lead or Coleman gets enough absentees to win by 50, I don’t think this election will ever feel “decided” to me.
Agree, though, that the declared “winner”, whoever it ends up being, has alot to prove to the other side. A far cry from Klobuchar entering the Senate with 60% support two years ago.
“how will we ever be able to feel good that one candidate won outright?”
If that feckless spoiler Barkley hadn’t felt the need to keep his greasy hat in the ring, Franken would have had a clear win.
To DTM: Will I feel good with a close win? Yes, if it’s Franken.
If that feckless spoiler Barkley hadn’t felt the need to keep his greasy hat in the ring, Franken would have had a clear win.
Nothing more clearly points out the need for instant runoff voting then the closeness of this election.