Franken expands list of absentee ballots sought
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Democrat Al Franken is expanding the number of absentee ballots that he thinks should be counted in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race.
Franken filed a spreadsheet Tuesday listing 430 rejected absentee ballots, up from 252 cited by his attorneys in closing arguments last week.
The absentee ballots are a central issue in the race, where Franken leads Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes after a statewide recount. Coleman has given the court a list of 1,360 rejected absentee ballots that he thinks should be counted.
In his own filing Tuesday, Coleman restated his case for the judges to take a generous view in deciding on absentees to make up for counties applying unequal standards.
Coleman also again asked the court to overturn a canvassing board decision to use the Election Day count from a Minneapolis precinct where ballots went missing, and to revoke some votes that may have been double-counted due to mishandling of damaged ballots.
The three-judge panel began deliberating Friday, and was expected to take at least several days before issuing any orders in the case.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.