Recount Update – 12/19
Posted in Blog on December 19th, 2008
STATE CANVASSING BOARD COMPLETES CHALLENGE REVIEW; FRANKEN HOLDS LEAD
The state canvassing board has finished its review of ballot challenges, and we are more confident than ever that more people voted for Al Franken than voted for Norm Coleman last month. The last remaining step in this phase of the process will be the reconciliation of withdrawn challenges, which will take place on Monday. Because the Coleman campaign issued far more frivolous challenges, the Franken campaign expects that Coleman will gain net votes during that step, but not enough to overcome Franken’s lead. Franken attorney Marc Elias announced at the conclusion of today’s proceedings that he believed Franken would ultimately be declared the winner. The bottom line is: we went into the challenge review process up by 4 votes, and we saw that margin increased significantly over the last four days.
PANICKED, COLEMAN GOES TO SUPREME COURT AGAIN ON BOGUS “DUPLICATE BALLOT†ARGUMENT
The Coleman campaign today filed suit in Minnesota Supreme Court seeking to have ballots thrown out because of what they claim is an issue with improper duplication of ballots. Franken Communications Director Andy Barr said: “This is just the latest desperate act by a campaign panicked because it has suddenly realized that it is going to lose the election. The two campaigns and the Secretary of State agreed on a deal at the insistence of the Coleman campaign. The Coleman campaign then used that deal to prevent us from making challenges in counties across the state. And now that they realize they are going to lose, they are once again running to court to try to change the rules and disenfranchise hundreds of voters based on a theory they invented and cannot support with any real evidence.”
SUPREME COURT: IMPROPERLY REJECTED ABSENTEE BALLOTS MUST BE COUNTED
Yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that improperly rejected absentee ballots must be included in the recount. The Coleman campaign had sought to have those thrown out, arguing unsuccessfully that the improper rejections could only be fixed in an election contest.
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=16&a=376007
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/18/court_orders_rejected_absentees_into_senate_count/
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/36406524.html
COLEMAN TO USE CAMPAIGN FUNDS FOR LEGAL DEFENSE IN FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO IMPROPER PAYMENTS
Elections experts and Coleman donors are reacting to the Coleman campaign announcement that the legal defense of Norm Coleman would be paid for with campaign funds, a decision that will require special permission from the FEC and the Senate Ethics Committee. Earlier reports confirmed that an FBI investigation is underway in relation to sworn allegations that Nasser Kazeminy, a major Coleman donor, attempted to funnel $100,000 to Coleman. Norm and Laurie Coleman have each retained their own high-powered Twin Cities white-collar criminal defense attorney.
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/12/19/5419/should_coleman_use_campaign_funds_to_pay_legal_bills
http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11266529
