Congressional Elections Results Thread

[Balta1701]

Yay!

[Balta1701]

The Minnesota canvassing board is going through the challenged ballots, after a series of other legal challenges regarding absentee ballots. The Franken challenges have been completed over the last couple days, and they're starting on the Coleman ballots now.

 

According to the Minneapolis star tribune, the official ballot tally is now down to a 5 vote lead for Coleman, with mostly Coleman challenges remaining. This race should be considered Franken's to lose.

 

2 votes.

[NorthSideSox72]

Franken now leading by 150 votes.

 

[Balta1701]

Franken now leading by 150 votes.

While he's passed him, this is certainly by no means over. His lead will probably increase throughout today. However, there are still some 5000 or so ballots on which there were challenges that were dropped, which somehow have not yet been sorted and my not be done until the new year.

[Balta1701]

The Minnesota Canvassing board today allocated the remainder of the challenged/dropped challenged ballots, and as of this moment, Al Franken unofficially leads by 48 votes.

 

There are 2 remaining legal challenges that must be settled. The Coleman campaign is arguing that there is a group of ballots that were counted twice on election day because of various issues (discussed at length by Silver here). The Franken campaign is arguing that there are 1000 or so absentee ballots that were improperly excluded in the count.

[EvilMonkey]

Funny how those 100 ballots, all for Frankin, that mysteriously appeared in the backseat of an officials car may just be the difference here. Democrats, and Minnistoians in particular, should be real proud fo themselves. First jessie Ventura, now Frankin? You get what you deserve.

[mr_genius]

The Minnesota Canvassing board today allocated the remainder of the challenged/dropped challenged ballots, and as of this moment, Al Franken unofficially leads by 48 votes.

 

There are 2 remaining legal challenges that must be settled. The Coleman campaign is arguing that there is a group of ballots that were counted twice on election day because of various issues (discussed at length by Silver here). The Franken campaign is arguing that there are 1000 or so absentee ballots that were improperly excluded in the count.

 

Should you double-count 50 ballots if it prevents one voter from having his vote thrown out?

 

 

this is such a train wreck. just give Franken his bogus win and move on. hopefully he makes a complete ass out of himself and i'll have some fodder for my posts.

[lostfan]

 

this is such a train wreck. just give Franken his bogus win and move on. hopefully he makes a complete ass out of himself and i'll have some fodder for my posts.

This made me lol

[kapkomet]

Franken is a f***up of epic proportions and would be a damn disgrace as a senator. I won't want his stinky ass near the Senate, but it looks like he's bought his way in.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Funny how those 100 ballots, all for Frankin, that mysteriously appeared in the backseat of an officials car may just be the difference here. Democrats, and Minnistoians in particular, should be real proud fo themselves. First jessie Ventura, now Frankin? You get what you deserve.

Ventura was bizarre, but he wasn't all bad.

 

[bmags]

If you only read this thread you'd think the Minnesota recount was disastrously handled.

[southsider2k5]

If you only read this thread you'd think the Minnesota recount was disastrously handled.

 

And if you read only the liberal blogs you'd think the Minnesota recount was handled fabulously.

[lostfan]

And if you read only the liberal blogs you'd think the Minnesota recount was handled fabulously.

How many liberal blogs do you read?

 

I'm not trying to snipe, honest question.

[bmags]

And if you read only the liberal blogs you'd think the Minnesota recount was handled fabulously.

 

Do you know why recounts automatically happen when it's this close? Because the #'s are usually off in the rush to report during the day. Recounts take a long time, and if our barometers are Florida or, I think Wash. State congressional recount, then Minnesota is a hell of a lot closer to Washington's then Florida's. Recounts are goign to suck for one side or the other, but these accusations of partisanship in the election board of minnesota is just projecting your political cynicism to every political event. Do you think Coleman was unpopular up there? My friends from Minnesota thought there was no way in Hell it was even close. It isn't as if there is no strong republican party in Minnesota either. You know those sample ballots balta provided us with? Nearly all were rejected as valid. Most people thought more of those ballots should go to Franken.

[southsider2k5]

How many liberal blogs do you read?

 

I'm not trying to snipe, honest question.

 

You'd be surprised. I do like to read what people are talking about.

[southsider2k5]

Do you know why recounts automatically happen when it's this close? Because the #'s are usually off in the rush to report during the day. Recounts take a long time, and if our barometers are Florida or, I think Wash. State congressional recount, then Minnesota is a hell of a lot closer to Washington's then Florida's. Recounts are goign to suck for one side or the other, but these accusations of partisanship in the election board of minnesota is just projecting your political cynicism to every political event. Do you think Coleman was unpopular up there? My friends from Minnesota thought there was no way in Hell it was even close. It isn't as if there is no strong republican party in Minnesota either. You know those sample ballots balta provided us with? Nearly all were rejected as valid. Most people thought more of those ballots should go to Franken.

 

Do you really think it is normal for partisian electoral officals to find 100 ballots in their car, all belonging to the same candidate, whom he happens to support? If you don't think things like that aren't going to make people cynical at what is going on there, you obviously are looking at this through partisian glasses.

[lostfan]

You'd be surprised. I do like to read what people are talking about.

No, I don't think I'd be surprised, that's why I asked. I figure you're an open-minded kind of guy, I was curious.

[bmags]

Do you really think it is normal for partisian electoral officals to find 100 ballots in their car, all belonging to the same candidate, whom he happens to support? If you don't think things like that aren't going to make people cynical at what is going on there, you obviously are looking at this through partisian glasses.

http://www.minnpost.com/davidbrauer/2008/1...car_story_false

[Texsox]

http://www.minnpost.com/davidbrauer/2008/1...car_story_false

 

One thing about living in the US, our elections are about as fair as humanly possible. When something makes zero sense and seems totally wrong, there is usually an honest and believable explanation.

 

Many of the problems come from absentee ballots. The root of this is our strong desire to allow everyone to cast a ballot. How sad would it be if we excluded the men and women of our military from voting? Excluded those patients who could not vote because of illness or death (Illinois Dems only)

 

So we must accept that the very few close elections will look biased and ugly and everything else. But the truth of the matter is there is a margin of error in everything that humans do. With as close as this election is, a .1% error is enough for the "wrong" person to be elected.

[bmags]

well there was no right person to be elected in this election. I'm just standing up for Minnesota's election officials, who are doing a reasonably good job.

[mr_genius]

http://www.minnpost.com/davidbrauer/2008/1...car_story_false

 

Think I'll stick with the Wall Street Journal on this one. This Brauer guy, and his story, seem kind of bogus. It's actually turning out to be one of the most suspicious elections in senate history.

Edited December 26, 2008 by mr_genius

[southsider2k5]

http://www.minnpost.com/davidbrauer/2008/1...car_story_false

 

So where did the 100 votes just show up from, and why have they never been subtracted?

[southsider2k5]

well there was no right person to be elected in this election. I'm just standing up for Minnesota's election officials, who are doing a reasonably good job.

 

Because the Democrat is winning...

[Texsox]

So where did the 100 votes just show up from, and why have they never been subtracted?

 

From what I know, most states do not count the write in and absentee votes unless the election is close enough for those votes to determine the winner.

 

Minny requires, if possible, that those ballots we counted in the precint where the voter is registered, and by the same process as the rest of the ballots. So once it is decided that those ballots need to be counted, they transport the ballots to the polling place to be counted. Some polling places were closed before the ballots could arrive. Again, Minny's laws then require those ballots to be brought back and a manual count is conducted.

 

So the ballots go from a central mail box, to the precint, and back again. Only these need to be counted separate because the polls had closed before they could get there.

 

I am not saying that the GOP is spinning this or some Dem is breaking the law. But the explanation of the law matches the trail of the ballots, as I read it. It could still be ballot fraud, but there is a legal and plausable explanation.

[Rex Kickass]

Don't absentee ballots usually have a postmark dictating that it was sent in on time?