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STATEMENT FROM COLEMAN FOR SENATE COUNSEL TONY TRIMBLE
By Ryan Flynn | January 5, 2009
ST. PAUL - Coleman for Senate Counsel Tony Trimble today issued the following statement:
The actions today by the Canvassing Board are but the first step in what, unfortunately, will now have to be a longer process. This process isn’t at the end; it is now just at the beginning. We will contest the results of the Canvassing Board — otherwise, literally millions of Minnesotans will be disenfranchised.
While we appreciate the effort of this board to do the work, the reality is that any certification of vote totals at this point is only preliminary. As this Canvassing Board has recognized, there still exist serious problems with inconsistencies in the administrative recount, and therefore in the validity and reliability of the numbers certified today. There can be no count that is accurate or valid when 654 potentially valid absentee votes remain disenfranchised and when some votes are counted twice – leading to a violation of one of the most sacred principles of our constitution – “One person, One vote.â€
And, there can be no justification to report out a total when 133 votes were included in a count where there are not ballots to support them. Or when a batch of votes were not counted on Election Night, but were miraculously “found†during the recount and included.
If the Canvassing Board had resolved all these issues, then the process might be completed. But the Board has deferred the resolution of those issues for the contest phase provided for in Minnesota law. Since the process is far from complete, there can be no confidence in the current results of the United States Senate Recount, and we will file a contest within the next 24 hours to promptly correct those problems and inaccuracies. The Supreme Court ruling today also emphasizes that that’s what we must do to provide an accurate count for this election.
Senator Coleman is adamant that we not wait a moment longer than necessary to ensure that the election be completed with accuracy and validity – and most importantly, without disenfranchising Minnesota voters or having a cloud remain over the results.
The utter lack of uniformity in the treatment of rejected absentee ballots, resulting in the disenfranchising of voters, is perhaps the most troublesome aspect of the recount. Similar ballots were treated differently by different counties. This creates an Equal Protection violation that fatally taints any result that includes these ballots. This was precisely what the Minnesota Supreme Court order said to avoid.
Unfortunately, with this announcement today, numerous Minnesotans will be wrongly disenfranchised because their votes are not counted. Mr. Franken and his campaign for purely political reasons no longer want to “count all the votesâ€. And, it is with great disappointment that we’ve seen senior members of the Secretary of State’s Office contributing to the process being broken. When senior members of the Secretary of State’s office, charged with ensuring a fair and balanced process, engage in acts which undermine that neutrality, all of us must be concerned.
The fact is the Canvassing Board’s current totals are invalid and unreliable because:
· Original and Duplicate ballots have been double counted – even members of the Canvassing Board acknowledge this is a serious issue, yet nothing was resolved – instead, double counted votes were simply added to their recount totals.
· Newly Discovered ballots, which appeared for the first time during the recount and are included in the Canvassing Board totals without proper reconciliation to the number of voters signed into the precincts on Election Day.
· Missing Ballots supposedly tallied on election night that could not be found during the recount process are included in the Canvassing Board count contrary to Minnesota precedent.
· And again, an inconsistent treatment of challenged ballots – an inconsistent treatment of wrongfully rejected absentee ballots – and an inconsistent treatment of the campaign by the very office charged with coordinating this recount simply results in a process that is broken.
The recount was supposed to be a recount – fair and reasoned – and one that would retain the credibility of the outcome of this election. However, it ceased being that the day that duplicate ballots and “missing ballots†were included in the count, and simply became more and more broken each and every day.
We had hoped that the board would refrain from reporting out with unanimity a recount total today. Since that did not happen, we will file an election contest within the next 24 hours. It will be based upon the issues I have outlined, as well as the lack of inclusion of 654 additional ballots that we believe should be a part of this recount and the very serious issue of included double counted votes that disenfranchises Minnesotans.
Our goal and obligation should be to get an accurate and valid vote as quickly as possible, and that is our reason for acting with urgency. Minnesotans ought to be able to expect that an accurate and valid recount would have ensured two United States Senators from Minnesota tomorrow. However, because the process is broken that will not happen.
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Topics: Uncategorized | 18 Comments »
18 Responses to “STATEMENT FROM COLEMAN FOR SENATE COUNSEL TONY TRIMBLE”
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January 5th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
An interesting subplot to this whole recount is how the campaigns made divergent, and critical choices on their choice of counsel. Franken went for the seasoned firm of Perkins Coie whereas Coleman went with a couple of local guys who I”m not sure had any experience related to these issues.
Whether you agree with the results of the recount or not, it’s hard to contest the assessment that Franken’s lawyers repeatedly schooled Coleman’s lawyers.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
And are continuing to — remember, the point isn’t that the Coleman campaign spins us. They now have to prove, in court, that they were wrongly defeated. Given that they’ve offered no evidence of that thus far, I’ll be surprised if they win in a contest.
And if they lose the contest, Norm Coleman’s days as a viable force in Minnesota politics will be over.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Trimble is adamant that the legal bills keep pilin’ up, in HIS favor.
Norm’s gonna have to raise a ton of dough for his legal fees; especially if and when the FBI files charges.
Whoops!
Make that: “FORMER Senator Coleman’s gonna have to raise a ton of dough for his legal fees; especially if and when the FBI files charges.”
January 5th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
YES!!!!!!!!
Thanks, this is even better news than the canvassing board!!
FIGHT . . . FIGHT ON!!!!
I almost was convinced that former Senator Coleman was going to do the honorable thing!! WaHOOOOO!!!!!!!
Flash
PS: In other news, former Sen Coleman has closed all his Senate offices . . . . .
http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11372581
January 5th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
“Franken went for the seasoned firm of Perkins Coie whereas Coleman went with a couple of local guys who Iâ€m not sure had any experience related to these issues.”
Yeah, well Norm doesn’t have George Soros bankrolling him, and he draws the line at stealing from childrens charities too so he was at a disadvantage right from the start.
“Given that they’ve offered no evidence of that thus far, I’ll be surprised if they win in a contest.”
Pffft.
Another legal giant wasting away in moms basement. Hahahaha!
January 5th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Hahahahahahahahaha! A-hahahahahahahahahahah!!!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
January 5th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
A recording of a strange echo eminating from between Al Franken’s buttcheeks…..
“Hahahahahahahahaha! A-hahahahahahahahahahah!!!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!”
*LMAO@U!*
January 5th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Can somebody please PROVE that votes were counted twice? No? THEN STOP SAYING IT HAPPENED LIKE IT WAS FACT!
The truth is the Coleman campaign thinks/hopes that this happened. They have a suspicion at this point and nothing more.
And you all agreed to the absentee ballots that were to be counted. But once you started putting two and two together and doing some math, you realized things were not going to go your way. So after everyone had agreed to what would be counted, you hand-picked 654 rejected ballots that you think should have been counted. Amazing how no neutral, local elections officials thought they should have been counted and were raising the alarm. No. It’s Team Coleman wanting to change the rules after the game is in play.
January 5th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Bob, that’s what the lawsuit is for. Once there is a challenge properly put before the courts, the resources necessary to uncover the facts will be available.
You may not have been paying attention, but Minneapolis’ election judge says she knows it happened.
“Amazing how no neutral, local elections officials..”
*blink…blink*
Did you really mean to write that, Bob?
Pffft.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
It appears to me that Ritchie orchastrated the process such that as soon as Franken found enough votes, they would call the election. It’s unfortunate that Minnesota Supreme Court Justices on the Canvassing Board went along with the disenfranchisement of Minnesota voters.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
It appears to me that Ritchie orchastrated the process such that as soon as Franken found enough votes, they would call the election. It’s unfortunate that Minnesota Supreme Court Justices on the Canvassing Board went along with the disenfranchisement of Minnesota voters.
Yes, because Tim Pawlenty’s former law partner is a dupe who’s easily manipulated by “Magic” Mark Ritchie.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Coleman, whose term expired Saturday, closed his offices today in accordance with a Senate Rules Committee order.
Coleman, whose term expired Saturday, closed his offices today in accordance with a Senate Rules Committee order.
Coleman, whose term expired Saturday, closed his offices today in accordance with a Senate Rules Committee order.
Coleman, whose term expired Saturday, closed his offices today in accordance with a Senate Rules Committee order.
Coleman, whose term expired Saturday, closed his offices today in accordance with a Senate Rules Committee order.
Coleman, whose term expired Saturday, closed his offices today in accordance with a Senate Rules Committee order.
Pfffffft. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
January 5th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
“It appears to me that Ritchie orchastrated the process such that as soon as Franken found enough votes, they would call the election. It’s unfortunate that Minnesota Supreme Court Justices on the Canvassing Board went along with the disenfranchisement of Minnesota voters.”
Jesus you people are stupid. Ritchie is one of four votes on the canvassing board. I have a feeling a sitting chief justice, a supreme court justice, and two sitting judges are not going to corroborate in a scheme to steal an election for someone none of them probably even voted for.
Morons.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I see the Ritchie apologists have weighed in. If Ritchie was so concerned about fairness and accuracy, why did he refuse to consider 654 improperly rejected absentee ballots from Anoka County?
And why did Ritchie allow more votes in 25 counties than people registered to vote, including some 170 in Ramsey County?
If the answer is anything other than to stop the recount before Franken lost his “lead” then I’d like to hear it.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Chris, you stupid (cheney)in’ bootlicker, did you even bother to read the previous comments before you typed your tinfoilhat blather??!?
Let me repeat the comment just before yours – perhaps your ShortBusDriver will explain it for you tomorrow:
Say, Chris?
Plymouth Dem was takin’ about morons like you.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Two Putz,
You’re the fu**ing idiot here, big man. The very judges you cite have indicated that the Canvassing Board lacks legal authority to order county election officials to act, take testimony, hear evidence or make findings of fact.
I’m so sick of asswipes like you and your constant flame wars and inane blather. It never ceases to amaze me how low you’re willing to get into the gutter. I’m naming you the poster child of hope and change. You’re just as empty as your side’s political rhetoric.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:57 am
“It never ceases to amaze me how low you’re willing to get into the gutter.”
ROFLMAO – @U!!!
And so are the voters.
You shameless dicks had complete control over all branches of government, and completely (chene)ed it up. Today, the only statewide elected official is the governor, and Democrats control the White House, the Senate, and the House in D.C.
But, you are “right” about one thing: you are indeed sick.
January 7th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Poor Norman is trying to do what Bush managed to do in 2000, but, unfortunately, Gov. Magnuson is not the SCOTUS, and Minnesota is not Washington DC. In fact, it’s not even Illinois, where coming up with dirt, or votes, is a heckuva lot easier.
One thing is certain, though, there are always twists and turns when it pertains to politics. My advice to Coleman is to pause long enough to read “Advise and Consent”. It may stop poor Norm from trying to roll that huge snowball up a glass mountain.
Norm reminds me of a failed business: “Closing our doors, forever.”,
United States Senate welcomes Senator Al Franken! Get over it stooges!