SECRETARY OF STATE: PRECINCT WITH 133 MISSING BALLOTS TO REVERT TO ELECTION NIGHT COUNT
The Secretary of State website now records results for every precinct except Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1, where 133 ballots are missing. Although Minneapolis officials cannot find the ballots, the Secretary of State has described a solution. In the past, the machine count tabulated on Election Day has been used. In other words, because local elections officials still have the canvassed and audited machine tape from that polling place, the count for this precinct would revert back to the canvassed and audited total. Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1 covers the Dinkytown neighborhood and includes a large population of students at the University of Minnesota.
http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSN0547993120081205
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/35607614.html

http://www.mndaily.com/2008/12/03/city-acknowledges-missing-ballots

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SECRETARY OF STATE: IF MISSING 133 BALLOTS CANNOT BE FOUND, PRECINCT MAY REVERT TO ELECTION NIGHT COUNT
The Secretary of State website now records results for every precinct except Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1, where 133 ballots are missing. Therefore, the current count does not include the results for the entirety of the precinct (2,029 total votes). According to Secretary of State Ritchie, if these ballots cannot be found and recounted, the state canvassing board will decide what to do. In the past, according to Ritchie, the machine count tabulated on Election Day would be used. In other words, because local elections officials still have the canvassed and audited machine tape from that polling place, the count for this precinct would revert back to the canvassed and audited total. Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1 covers the Dinkytown neighborhood and includes a large population of students at the University of Minnesota.
http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSN0547993120081205
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/35607614.html
http://www.mndaily.com/2008/12/03/city-acknowledges-missing-ballots

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TODAY: FRANKEN HOLDS 4 VOTE LEAD OVER COLEMAN AS HAND COUNT ENDS
As of this writing, every precinct in the state has completed its hand count – with the exception of the precinct in Minneapolis where 133 ballots are missing. And, at the end of the hand count, Al Franken leads Norm Coleman by 4 votes. Many media outlets are calculating the margin by a different method, relying on raw data from the Secretary of State’s website to conclude that Coleman holds a lead of a few hundred votes. However, that calculation leaves out a Minneapolis precinct of 2,029 votes which is still being counted. It also assumes that every challenge will be upheld by the state canvassing board, whereas our calculation assumes that the original call by the impartial election judge will stand. So, if the judge calls it for Franken, we say it’s a Franken ballot. Likewise, if the judge calls it for Coleman, we treat it as a Coleman ballot - even if we have challenged it.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1208/At_end_of_recount_Franken_camp_claims_fourvote_lead.html

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TODAY: WITH 133 MISSING BALLOTS IN MINNEAPOLIS, FRANKEN CAMPAIGN DEMANDS INTENSIVE SEARCH
The Al Franken for Senate campaign today demanded that the Secretary of State oversee an immediate and intensive search for a lost envelope containing 133 ballots from Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1. After initially suggesting that the discrepancy between the number of voters on Election Day and the number of ballots found during the recount could be the result of ballots being accidentally double-counted on Election Day - a suggestion the Franken campaign immediately pointed out was completely implausible - Minneapolis elections director Cindy Reichert late last night admitted to the Star Tribune that the ballots were missing, saying that her earlier theory “doesn’t jibe with the numbers we have” and “wasn’t valid speculation.” Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1 covers the Dinkytown neighborhood and includes a large population of students at the University of Minnesota.
http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2008/12/04/5027/franken_campaign_calls_for_intensive_search_to_find_missing_minneapolis_ballots
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/35492669.html
http://minnesotaindependent.com/19186/the-ballad-of-the-missing-ballots

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RECOUNT UPDATE: FRANKEN TAKES 22 VOTE LEAD OVER COLEMAN
By our count, Al Franken leads Norm Coleman by 22 votes with roughly 138,000 ballots left to be hand counted. Many media outlets are calculating the margin by a different method, relying on raw data from the Secretary of State’s website to conclude that Coleman holds a lead of over 300 votes. However, that calculation assumes that every challenge will be upheld by the state canvassing board, whereas our calculation assumes that the original call by the impartial election judge will stand. So, if the judge calls it for Franken, we say it’s a Franken ballot. Likewise, if the judge calls it for Coleman, we treat it as a Coleman ballot - even if we have challenged it.
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/franken-claims-lead-2008-12-03.html
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1208/Franken_camp_claims_its_in_the_lead.html

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