Fair enough — and I agree with you that I hope these ballots are accounted for. If not during the court case, after and by the press.

I’d really like to know how many rejected absentee ballots there were for each county, How many of them arrived late, How many of the people whose ballots were rejected ended up having their vote counted and I’d love this data by county. That information is probably appropriate for a data request by the way.

I did not suggest Norm was engaged in a stunt. It is this data request that I called a stunt, because it is one and transparently so. That Norm thinks he even has a 1% shot at changing this outcome, makes it somewhat understandable that he would pursue it.

Another factor in Franken’s favor, I suppose. But actually, I think that with respect to voter fraud in absentee ballots generally, I think the fraud skews Republican. I think more Republicans vote absentee illegally than Democrats. That’s why Republicans more eagerly solicit absentee ballots than Democrats. But within the set of absentee ballots, the subset of problematic ballots tend to skew Democrat.

The question isn’t so much why Norm wants to count these ballots (they represent his only hope, however frail) as it is why Franken doesn’t want to count them. The answer to that is obvious of course. He is ahead, so stopping the count is in his interest. But I think if those votes were counted he would probably still win, and probably increase his margin. Maybe he would be in the sentate by now.

Because he is behind, and he hopes the unopened ballots will trend in his favor. They are all he has got.

I think it’s the sense of a lot of observers that the hard to count ballots trend toward Franken. That’s because of the general rule that Democrats are more likely to have trouble voting than Republicans. So troubled ballots are more likely to be Democrat ballots. That’s the practical reason why Republicans generally favor less aggressive vote counting and Democrats favor more aggressive vote counting. And that’s why recounts, which tend to count more hard to count votes that are initially not counted tend to favor Democrats. The key for Republicans in any recount of a close election is to shut down the recount as early as possible, e.g. Florida 2000.

Huh? If pre-election polls showed Franken winning absentee voters by double digits, then why is Norm fighting to open the ballots? He’s not just fighting in this “stunt” — to use your words. It’s the basis of his court case. Somehow I’m suspicious of the defensiveness of you and others on Team Franken to keep these ballots sealed. I’m surprised they haven’t been burned yet.

I have no idea. It’s the court that needs some legal authority in order to do something. The law allows people to do lots of stuff which for whatever reason they choose not to do.

“I would hope that any election judge would be willing to correct the mistakes that have happened during the vote count.”

I would too, but I think that’s out of their hands right now. The case is in the Supreme Court at the moment.

This is a pure stunt I’m sure planned as such with no hope of full success. There is nothing that says a county must take action to change the status of a non-public document (the sealed ballot) to a public document. The reason it was planned this way is because it has become obvious that pre-election polls showing Franken winning the absentee voters by double digits probably understated the case.

Hiram, Why would the election judge be looking for a legal precedent sh he can refuse to open the ballot, when the law allows him to do so?

I would hope that any election judge would be willing to correct the mistakes that have happened during the vote count.

Does the brief cite a statute or precedent that requires an election judge to open such ballots?

It’s interesing how desperate you people are to keep those absentee ballots sealed. I’m surprised you haven’t had them burned yet like your election judge did in Mower County about seven years ago in the Grace Schwab election.

What’s more interesting to me is how the press isn’t interested in finding out what those absentee ballots have to say. Especially considering how they all spent countless dollars to conduct their own Florida recount (only to find, of course, that George W. Bush did indeed beat Algore). It will be interesting to see whether some enterprising young journalist will hop on the bandwagon and make the same request.

The following was highlighted in red: “This request does not seek to have the undersigned open or unseal any absentee ballot envelopes; to the extent any such envelopes have not yet been opened, the undersigned requests that an election judge do so.”

Are you color blind? Do you have a black and white computer monitor? Or, are you just a moron?

Why? Is it because it will show that you are trying to score points with a lie?

It’s no risk to the DFL, as more ballots counted means more ballots for Senator-Elect Franken.

“This request does not seek to have the undersigned open or unseal any absentee ballot envelopes; to the extent any such envelopes have not yet been opened, the undersigned requests that an election judge do so.”

The above is a quoted from the request. Apparently you attempt to comprehend what was sent FAILED. Nice try to deceive though…

“The following government data is classified as nonpublic data with regard to data not on individuals, pursuant to section 13.02, subdivision 9, and as private data with regard to data on individuals, pursuant to section 13.02, subdivision 12: Security information; trade secret information; sealed absentee ballots prior to opening by an election judge; sealed bids, including the number of bids received, prior to the opening of the bids; parking space leasing data; and labor relations information, provided that specific labor relations information which relates to a specific labor organization is classified as protected nonpublic data pursuant to section 13.02, subdivision 13.”

http://tinyurl.com/lec2cv

Fishing expedition FAIL.

Yes. EXACTLY like that.

I predict similar results as well.

You mean how Democrats fought the Florida recount — even after Bush was duly elected and sworn-in as President?

Hopefully, MB is only borrowing a page from the DFL and not going over to the dark side of the force.

Unlike you, I did so in a boat, and I was able to actually catch something. You seem to be casting at a train. And not a train that is passing, but a train that went by a few days ago.

I guess that has sort of been an apt description for the republicans recount effort. Frequently caught flat footed, they try all sorts of Hail Marys once it is far too late for them to actually provide results.