Franken Web Video: “My Vote”

by Aaron Landry | 27 Comments

 

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December 10, 2008, 1:20 pm | Category: MN 2008: Senate | Tags: .

27 Responses to “Franken Web Video: “My Vote””

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  • Kerosene Hat
    December 10, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    Nice way to cap the end of the DFL party’s multi-year promotion of the idea that Minnesota has a clean and fair election process and that no further standardization is called for. Anybody think that this video would have been made, or that Franken would be fighting to have the rejected ballots included, if Franken was currently ahead by 200 votes? Didn’t think so.

    That being the case the only reason for this video to have been made is one of self serving politics. Not some sort of democratic altruism.

    I hope that all wrongly rejected ballots that are legally able to be counted are counted. It is just interesting to see what it took for the Franken campaign to admit a complete distrust of, followed by the shallow demonization of, the state workers and officials who are legally charged with determining the results.

  • lojasmo
    December 10, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Kh

    The video is completely factual, and no “demonization” is evident. As to whether Franken would have made the video were he ahead, any guess is just that. I say yes, you say no. As I believe I know Franken better than you do, I proclaim my guess to be more accurate than yours.

  • Kerosene Hat
    December 10, 2008 at 4:28 pm

    lojasmo,

    So what was the point of the video if not to claim that the officials in charge of our elections were either not competent or willfully disenfranchising those people interviewed?

    You are of course entitles to your opinion on whether Franken would have made this video if he were ahead in the count. Though you view seems to be as plausible as Larry Craig’s excuse for his bathroom behavior or William Jefferson’s for his sub zero choice of safety deposit boxes. I do appreciate that you base your response on such a improbable idea as it just makes my view seem stronger.

  • lojasmo
    December 10, 2008 at 5:22 pm

    KH:

    The point is that all valid votes were not counted. Please cite ONE quotation from the video which “demonizes” election officials. I’ll wait.

    Since your “view” is clearly pulled from your anus, I don’t think it is stronger in any regard, except maybe for the odor.

  • MRW
    December 10, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    Were it my absentee ballot that had been improperly rejected, I’d be asking for it to be counted also. Here is why: I did everything I was supposed to — from registration to signatures. If someone used an invalid reason for tossing my ballot (should that be considered a violation of election law?), they were in the wrong, not me.

    A proper response should be sorry, we will count your vote. Not a shrug of the shoulders and an “oh well, what do you expect us to do now?” That’s not good enough.

  • Kerosene Hat
    December 10, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    lojasmo,

    That would only be the point if you believe Franken would have made the video if he were ahead in the count. Something that common sense says is highly improbable. Something that given the history of this campaign, either party, and politics in general seems as close to an unbelievable concept as one can imagine.

    Why would there need to be a direct quote? I might as well ask you to produce a quote from an unbiased source to support you argument. But that would be ridiculous. I’m sure you are aware that many political ads make suggestions with only one rational conclusion without stating them in a quotable form. It is the art of plausible deniability that all politicians seem quite expert. I’m sure you were able to understand that I disagreed with you even if my previous posts did not contain those exact words.

    If the video was made because Franken felt that the people shown represent a significant number of disenfranchised voters he must feel that there is some reason for the disenfranchisement. Since the first stated reason was that the ballots of those people were wrongly disallowed then he is admitting at least a significant amount of incompetence in our officials. If he believes that after the recount our election system would not have corrected these errors he is saying that our system, and therefore our officials, cannot be trusted to determine the intent of our voting public. And that fact has caused this injustice.

    I asked if you had a more plausible reasons for the production of the video. Is the fact you became vulgar and personal an indicator that you have no such rationale?

  • rainman
    December 10, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    These improperly rejected ballots should have been counted at the recount process, and the votes tabulated to whichever candidate they voted for. Being that this did not get done, it is up to the State Canvassing Board of 5 to do the right thing next week…let’s wait and see what happens. If as many as 1000 absentee ballots were improperly rejected, that needs to be corrected, period! Both Franken and Coleman should demand this of the Secretary of State. Anything short of this is a total travesty of the system.

  • ArmChairOperative
    December 10, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    Clearly the Franken strategy is to get plus 1 and then declare himself the victor. Taking advantage of people in their hospital beds for political gamesmanship and gain is beyond the pale.

    I hate that Coleman received more votes but this isn’t Coleman’s or his campaign’s fault, this is human error-much like the human error CD 3 dems made with Madia. HA!

  • Demure One
    December 10, 2008 at 6:38 pm

    KH has a valid point - all one needs to do is look at the first part of the ad with the intense scary prose - the silent passing of time as start white words - unsettling words appear on a black background - clearly a key element of Franken’s strategy is to create as much distrust in the voting process as possible. Way to serve the people…

  • Matt Martin
    December 10, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    Look, the motive is impeachable, but the problem is real. Every properly cast ballot should be counted.

  • EZSuds
    December 10, 2008 at 8:00 pm

    Franken asked for all improperly disallowed absentee ballots to be counted. Why would anyone be against that? Franken didn’t say that only those improperly disallowed absentee ballots that contained a vote for him should be counted, he said they ALL should be counted. Who could be against that, and what are their reasons?

  • Demure One
    December 10, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    It’s the dramatic approach team Franken is taking that’s objectionable guys. It would be just as easy to produce as equally disturbing a video for the Coleman campaign. Many people who submit absentee ballots do it because getting to the poles is a serious hardship - Norm’s team could go out and find people in similar circumstances as those featured in Al’s video. At it’s core this video is about discrediting the voting process before it is even completed.

  • K-Fiz
    December 10, 2008 at 8:49 pm

    Hey Aaron, when are you moving back to DC? Are they honestly wasting money on paying you and putting together webvideos?

  • Sunshine123
    December 10, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    Hasn’t Franken taken the position, before the actual recounting even started, that every
    vote should be counted? Hasn’t Franken taken the position, taken actions, spoken out
    since prior to the recounting that all improperly rejected absentee votes need to be
    counted? That being the case, it has nothing to do with the current tally, the position
    is clear, the Franken campaign wants every vote counted. Why would anyone be opposed to that?

  • Barack McCain
    December 10, 2008 at 10:57 pm

    Simple question KHat and any other right wing leaners: If votes were improperly rejected, should they be counted? Forget who made the video or who the votes may favor. Answer the question.

  • Minnesota Bulldog
    December 10, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    Demure One:

    You’re right. Coleman could have made a similar video, expressing concern for why properly cast votes haven’t been counted because of inadvertent errors. The important question: why hasn’t he?

    I have seen very little concern on the Coleman campaign about making sure every vote is counted, and on the contrary, outright disdain for efforts to actually count votes.

    The 133 missing votes is a prime example. Over and over, the Coleman campaign practically mocks the idea that people who properly cast their votes should have their votes counted. This notion that these 133 votes never existed is nonsense. Here are the two explanations given:

    1) 133 people waited in line, signed the register then left, because they had to get to class.

    This is ridiculous. You sign the register AFTER you’ve waited in line. It’s the last step before you’re handed your ballot: immediately afterwards you go vote. The very idea that people would wait all that time and then leave is laughable.

    2) These 133 ballots were run through the machines twice because these were the ballots that had write-ins on them.

    I’ll give you a simple math question: what happens if you multiply an odd number by two? Is the result odd or even? Part two: what happens if you multiply an even number by two? Is the result odd or even?

    Now, let’s look at the results for this precinct:
     http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/ElecRslts.asp?CtyCd=27&M=P&CtyNm=Hennepin

    How many write-ins are there for:

    SOIL AND WATER SUPERVISOR DISTRICT 1
    ASSOCIATE JUSTICE - SUPREME COURT 4
    JUDGE - COURT OF APPEALS 9
    JUDGE - COURT OF APPEALS 15
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 1
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 4
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 9
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 10
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 19
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 30
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 36
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 42
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 46
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 56
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 58
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 60
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 61
    JUDGE -4TH DISTRICT COURT 62

    Take a look and come back. Are they odd or even? Should that be mathematically possible if all the write-in ballots were run through twice?

    The inimitable Nate Silver gets credit for that insight.

     — -

    But back to the question at hand: is Franken casting doubt on the election process by pointing out that mistakes were made? That too is nonsense. This may come as a surprise but election judges are human. They are good people working hard, but every once and a while, they — like all of us — make a mistake. This does not make them bad people. I would challenge anyone who said any of these mistakes were made with ill intent. But sometimes mistakes do happen.

    If it was your ballot that had been cast, and you had done everything right, EVERYTHING, and you found out that your vote hadn’t counted, because somebody else accidentally made a mistake, how would you feel, and what would you want done?

    I would be upset and would feel frustrated. I’d do my best to not be upset with the election judge who made a mistake: that person had an incredibly busy day with so many people to deal with, and I could see how something might slip through the cracks.

    And I would want my vote counted. I would want everybody to do whatever it took to make my vote count.

    I honestly can say that I would feel the same way if somebody was in that situation, and they had voted for Coleman. Or Barkley. Or whoever.

    Count the votes. Just count the votes.

    If those votes get counted, and Coleman wins, fine.

    But count the votes.

    If Franken was ahead right now, I would say the same thing.

    Count. The. Votes.

  • Mike
    December 11, 2008 at 2:07 am

    I am bothered by this video, not because of its message to count the votes, but because it takes unfair advantage of these people’s predicament to make an unfair implication.

    These people’s vote were rejected in the typical honest mistake that happen in any election. Election judges aren’t perfect, and sometimes that improperly reject ballots despite their best efforts. These folks are understandably upset, but there is no reason to believe that their ballots won’t be reviewed. I don’t blame these voters for casting aspersions toward voting officials. I blame the Franken campaign for broadcasting those aspersions in a way that casts doubt upon an election process that counts the votes as accurately as humanly possible.

  • lojasmo
    December 11, 2008 at 6:08 am

    Mike-

    The video is fair and factual.

    I would indeed cast doubt upon this process. The search is over for the 133 missing ballots in 3-1, and there is no clear indication that those votes will be counted. Indeed, the coleman camp will argue that they should not be counted, despite clear evidence that camp Coleman’s claim of double scanning is frankly spurious.

    Furthermore, there is every reason to believe those ballots won’t be reviewed. Want to bet a penny on whether or not Coleman sues to keep the improperly rejected absentee ballots under wraps?

  • Kerosene Hat
    December 11, 2008 at 7:48 am

    I hope that all wrongly rejected ballots are able to be counted. The thing is my opinion, and most anybody else’s, on the subject is meaningless. The officials in charge of the counting must follow the laws in place at the time of the election. If at any point the rules are not followed the wronged party can take the issue to court. A decision will be rendered and the process will continue until a winner is certified.

    At no point between now and the end of the process does public opinion play a role. That being the case, why make a video disparaging the process that is currently taking place and by extension the people tasked with the execution of the law? The motivation, as Matt said, is impeachable and seems most likely to be to generate sympathy for a victory based on a lengthy law suit where Franken must point out incompetence of the election officials and or the innate unconstitutionality of our election system. The other possibility, which is even more unsavory, is to soften people up so the U.S. Senate feels it will get less blow back if it steps in to decide the winner. Usurping the rights of each and every Minnesota voter.

    Both camps should keep quiet and work within the system provided. There are many places in our current system where voter intent was improperly read or unable to be determined. Why no video about the design of ballots that seem to have caused thousands of votes to be illegible? The best answer seems to be because there is no way fixing that problem could help Franken win at this point.

    As I said the day after the election, what we have is a functional tie. Our system is not accurate enough to determine which candidate received more support on election day. The missing ballots from Minneapolis 3-1 should The idea of “count every vote” was empty rhetoric until doing so favored one side. Most of these problems could have been avoided had either party made creating a better election system a priority BEFORE the election. Now they should simply live with the results of the system they put in place.

    As for the 133 ballots from Minneapolis 3-1. My guess is that an envelope was, unfortunately, lost. What happens now should be determined by the laws in place at the time of the election. But the campaigns are over, public opinion should not be a factor in the counting process.

  • lojasmo
    December 11, 2008 at 10:09 am

    KH: I agree that this is a functional tie. All we can do is the BEST we can do. If this ad helps the officials do THE BEST they can do vis a vis public pressure, than that is all the better.

    Certainly the voters of Minnesota still have the right to exert influence to make sure all the legitimate votes are counted.

  • amuseinc
    December 11, 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Who knew that absentee ballots were a hit and miss proposition prior to this recount? The fact is that this part of the system seems to be broken and is disenfranchising voters. Fixing it needs to be addressed… before the next tie election.

  • lojasmo
    December 11, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    The process for filing absentee ballots is tremendously tedious and difficult, evidently. That absolutely needs to be cleared up, given the large number of elderly and disabled relying on the system.

  • Minnesota Bulldog
    December 11, 2008 at 5:05 pm

    Very well put, KH.

    Unfortunately, the absentee ballot system is put under stress by those who treat it as an early voting system. Absentee balloting is supposed to be used only by those who cannot vote on election day. Did you know it’s a felony to vote absentee if you could have voted on election day? There are only four acceptable reasons for voting absentee, and if you lie on your absentee ballot application about which option is your reason for voting absentee, it’s a felony. Nobody investigates this, of course. I don’t want to run around doing a felony investigation of absentee voters, but if there’s a desire out there for making an early voting system, make a real early voting system. Or not. But this murky middle ground is part of the problem. (It’s not actually murky by design… it just ends up that way, though all are working hard to do their best.) Of course no money for anything these days, there aren’t extra funds out there to support a robust early voting system or runoff elections or in all likelihood instant runoff.

  • Kerosene Hat
    December 11, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Actually there appear to be five valid reasons on the Absentee Ballot Application.

    •Illness or disability
    •Religious discipline or observance of religious holiday
    •Service as election judge in another precinct
    •Eligible emergency declared by the governor or quarantine declared by federal or state government
    •Absence from the precinct

    Since that last one covers just about everything I doubt there was a large number of voters who used absentee that wouldn’t have qualified. Assuming that the official application form is correct.

  • lojasmo
    December 11, 2008 at 8:45 pm

    Actually, it is the expectation of absence from your precinct. In fact, Minnesota has laws which allow for in person voting by persons who filed absentee, and end up being present on voting day.

    Epic fail by Minnesota Bulldog.

  • Minnesota Bulldog
    December 11, 2008 at 11:36 pm

    Epic fail is a bit harsh.

    The point is just that we do not have early voting, but there are many that treat it as such. (There are also many that have very legitimate reasons to vote absentee. Kudos to them!) If you don’t actually have any expectation that you can’t go to the polls on election day, you are not supposed to vote absentee, and to do so is a felony. I do not want to go track down absentee voters and prosecute them as felons! I just thought it was interesting.

    And KH, good catch on the five versus four. My bad.

    My basic philosophy is that voting is a good thing, make it as smooth a process as possible, and count all the votes.

  • Sunshine123
    December 12, 2008 at 5:29 am

    We dont have “early voting” in Minnesota. Should we? Personally I think so. Regardless of election laws to ensure you have a right to take off work to vote, most have to use personal time, make up the time, or take it unpaid. As a regular absentee voter due to my job taking me out of state most weekdays, I never expected my vote to be hit or miss but am much more concerned now. I personally am happy with the Minnesota laws on the recount so far, and the transparency, and certainly happy we have paper ballots to ensure a fair and accurate recount. But I think we can improve the process. Times change. Lifestyles, working situations change, asking millions of voters to be able to show up all on the same day might not be the best option anymore. I for one would be happy to see Minnesota join the trend of opening polls days ahead for early voting. I would be much more confident placing my vote at a polling place on the weekend before the election than I am sticking it in the mail.

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