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

Read full update after the jump…

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SAINT PAUL [12/04/08] “The Al Franken for Senate campaign today announced that $2.1 million had been raised for its recount effort, both directly by the campaign and through a joint fundraising committee with the Minnesota DFL Party (the Franken Recount Fund). As of November 24, the campaign and the joint fundraising committee had a combined $1.9 million cash on hand.

Full release after the jump…

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SAINT PAUL [12/04/08] “Tonight, Minneapolis elections director Cindy Reichert revealed new information about a missing envelope, marked “1/5″which contains the 133 ballots lost from Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State’s office has agreed to keep the recount open in that precinct in order to allow officials to find that envelope.

Full release after the jump…

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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

More after the jump…

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133 Minneapolis Voters At Risk Of Being Disenfranchised

Franken Campaign: “The Integrity Of This Election Is At Stake”

SAINT PAUL [12/04/08] “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.”

Full release after the jump…

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In Letter To Ritchie, Reichert, Franken Campaign Expresses Grave Concerns, Demands Immediate Action

SAINT PAUL [12/03/08] “After 133 ballots were lost by elections officials in the city of Minneapolis (Ward 3, Precinct 1), the Franken campaign today sent a letter to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Minneapolis Elections Director Cindy Reichert expressing grave concerns about the missing votes and demanding that Reichert complete an intensive search before the recount is declared closed or any numbers are officially reported from this precinct.

Read full release after the jump…

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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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RECOUNT UPDATE: COLEMAN LEAD DOWN TO 50 VOTES
By our count, the margin stands at 50 votes as of the end of last night’s counting with roughly 200,000 ballots left to be counted. Why is this number different from the Secretary of State’s number? The Secretary of State’s number takes every challenged ballot out of a candidate’s count and adds it to the challenge pile. In other words, the Secretary of State’s number assumes that every challenge is meritorious. It is clear from looking at some of these challenges that this is not the case. Our number, on the other hand, relies on the call of the election judge at the table–before anyone challenges the ballot. 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.

Read more after the jump…

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Local Officials Will Re-Examine And Sort Previously Rejected Ballots – Ballots That Do Not Meet A Legal Qualification For Rejection Will Be Separated Out

Franken Campaign Applauds Efforts Of Elections Officials

SAINT PAUL [12/02/08] “In a major development toward counting improperly rejected absentee ballots, the Secretary of State’s office today directed county auditors and county and city election officials to review all previously-rejected absentee ballots and determine whether they fall under one of the four legal reasons for rejecting a ballot. The absentee ballot review will begin on December 8.

Read full release after the jump…

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This race is the closest Senate race in Minnesota history and the closest race anywhere in the country this year. With 2.9 million votes cast, there’s a margin of roughly 400 votes. It’s too close to call, and we don’t know yet who won.

Here’s where we are now: Right now, each of Minnesota’s 87 counties are conducting a review of the election results. By November 11, all of the county canvassing boards will have certified the election results. By November 18, the State Canvassing Board will certify the election results.

Once that happens, the Minnesota Secretary of State will begin the recount, which will probably take several weeks. The recount is triggered automatically when races are this close to make sure we determine the outcome with certainty. (An automatic recount is triggered by a margin of .5% of the vote–right now, the margin in our race is only .01%.) The recount will be orderly, fair, and conducted with one goal: To ensure that every vote is properly counted. We may have to wait a little while to learn who won the election, but we will know that the voice of the electorate was clearly heard.

Read the full post, including answers to some of the common questions we’ve been getting, after the jump…

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