Minnesota Senate Race…Still Undecided
Norm Coleman was on a local ABC affiliate talkshow, At Issue, recently, discussing the still ongoing recounts.
Have I mentioned yet that I think by now this election is a joke? I don’t care who you support here, Coleman or Franken. We’re almost mid-February with only one functioning Senator in Minnesota. For those counting, that’s over three months since the election. I know one Senator out for a bit isn’t the end of the world (two were out for the greater part of two years, after all). But at some point, don’t you have to throw up your hands and just call for a do-over?
I want democracy to succeed in Minnesota, too, but soon the two of them are going to be pulling ballots to challenge out a rathole somewhere in rural Minnesota, it seems. And the process of counting and recounting until a desirable number is gotten is kind of sickening. It seems like at some point, you’ll just have to admit that you don’t know who won, and do it again. That presents its own problems, of course, but it may be the only way.
(H/T Ed Morrissey)
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Isn’t it wonderful that Minnesota has a law that fully describes how election disputes are handled? Of course, this is a rather unusually close result, but the law sets up a procedure which has to yet run its course, so there is no legal reason or precedent that would find for a new election, but with Al Franken ahead I can understand why you would advocate for a new election. A satirist in the Senate might just not be the kind of member the club would want to allow inside. After all, how would it look if someone made fun of the stupidity that emanates from the right side of the aisle. That is why you advocate a new election correct?
As a Minnesotan, it seems to me that the law isn’t nearly as good as it sounds. For one, there is no set of standards concerning which questionable votes should count.
In many ways I’d like to call shenanagins on this election and have a new one. It seems that pockets of ballots being found (still — they found 16 new ones last week) smells fishy. Honestly, I suspect both parties of being unethical and a new election, with only this question on the ballot, would focus their attention on the procedures and any “found” ballots would be immediately suspect.
There are several potential problem areas in Minnesota election law/procedures:
The “found” ballot problem has happened in past elections due to the rural nature of the state — My mom is an election judge in northern MN (a Republican, one of two in the area… seriously) and she said it is standard procedure for the head of the district to collect the physical ballots on election night, call in vote totals from the machine, and bring the physical ballots to town the followting day.
Another problem here is the lack of an actual early voting procedure. Instead, you can go to the county office and vote absentee — in person — if you aren’t going to be in the area on election day. I did this because I didn’t have time in my teaching schedule to get to the poll and back. If I could have just voted early, I would have. As the law sits — I could have gone to the polling place and cast a vote, which would have replaced my absentee vote — of course, you can see the potential pitfalls here…
Finally, there was no attempt at checking my ID to see if I actually WAS who I said I was AND we have a long history of allowing un-registered people to vote if someone will vouch for them. I think the reasoning was that proving residency at a new home is sometimes difficult — but, it seems to me that someone who has just moved to the area will have some kind of written verification of their address — if only some mail that has arrived or a lease.
@Jemerson
Jemerson, if there is a clear legal path that the election commission is to follow, then I’m with you wholeheartedly. However, are you implying that stupidity emanates ONLY from the right side of the aisle? Surely not.
@George
In the interest of fairness and balance, the left side of the aisle has its share of stupidity, but in recent years stupidity from the right has dedicated monuments to itself…
As a Minnesotan, I say let’s have a do-over. Would be more cost effective.
Here, Here, Do over and accept no out of state money for the campaigns.
Bill
No, I advocate a new election because this one is a joke. I believe both Franken and Coleman have made it this way.
Not everything has to be ideologically based, and I have no favorite in this race. I voted Bob Barr for President in November, the Democrat John Larson in my House district, and mostly upon name recognition (due to my lack of following the state races) for the rest, including one Republican. Most of the rest were Democrats, I believe.
Registered Independent since 2004 and briefly a Democrat when I first signed up.
Nice try, though.
“After all, how would it look if someone made fun of the stupidity that emanates from the right side of the aisle. That is why you advocate a new election correct?”
Jemerson, so far most of your comments that I have read seem just as one sided as you are “claiming” Michael’s are. I agree with Michael that this one has been so back and forth for so long, it is getting silly. However, I agree that if one is a right winger, then of course they are going to pull for that candidate, as their worldview is similar, same with the left winger pulling for Coleman to win, that is part of what Politics is all about, correct?