Franken Wins Recount; Result Still Not Final

January 6, 2009

Democrat Al Franken, now 63 days after the November 4th election, has been declared the winner of the Minnesota Senate race by the state’s Recount Canvassing Board.  The official report proclaims that Franken has a 225 vote lead over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.  More than 2.89 million ballots were cast, tabulated, and recounted.  On election night, Coleman led by as many as 750 votes, but his advantage consistently dwindled throughout the post-election counting process. 

But, the fight is not over.  The result cannot be officially certified for another six days, giving Coleman the time he needs to file a series of legal challenges.  The Republicans have maintained that a certain number of ballots have been double-counted, others accepted without proper documentation, and certain precinct totals were ratified even though the number of votes cast exceeded the number of area residents.  The canvassing board referred Coleman’s complaints to the courts, saying it is beyond their authority to add new votes to the official count.  Democrats plan to seat Franken when the Senate convenes today, but Republicans may filibuster claiming that the final result has not yet been determined.  Though the process will likely drag on for several more weeks, the pendulum has clearly swung in Franken’s direction.

Content Provided by DDC, Inc.

Go to our Election Insider Archives to find previous articles.