Minnesota Senate recount: Rejected absentee ballots won't be included in recount

The decision explained below is being viewed as good news for Norm Coleman's campaign. I'm not entirely sure why--read on--but since Minnesota DFL candidate Al Franken is trailing Coleman, he's looking for help from any direction--because it's looking likely that Coleman will win the recount. Which means the next battle will involve rejected ballots.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

The State Canvassing Board, a panel of five arbiters charged with determining the winner in the overtime election tussle between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, unanimously voted this morning to deny the Franken campaign's request that rejected absentee ballots be included in the recount.

During the discussion, the board members stressed that they weren't rejecting the merits of the arguments made by Franken's attorneys. They also made it clear they expect the issue to be litigated separately from the recount procedure.

Also this morning, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who chairs the Canvassing Board, said that attorneys from each campaign have said they can find a way to trim the pile of ballots being challenged in counties across the state. Combined, the two sides are so far contesting more than 3,600 ballots.

Regarding those absentee ballots, many of them that were rejected arrived at Minnesota county offices after Election Day. Some of those ballots undoubtedly were cast by members of our military serving overseas--and probably most of them voted for Coleman.

Something has to be done about improving military absentee voting.

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