Minn. recount resumes today, state begs for this to end
Categories: Franken vs. Coleman
After a long Thanksgiving weekend break, the recount to determine Minnesota's Senate seat winner resumes today.
The state only has 10 percent of the ballots remaining with Norm Coleman ahead of Al Franken by 292 votes, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. The Star Tribune says Coleman is up 282 votes.
The recount must be complete by Friday and the Canvassing Board meets Dec. 16 to start analyzing challenged ballots. If it comes down to challenged ballots, Franken could have a tough battle ahead, according to the Star Tribune.
Could this all be decided by the Senate? Maybe, says Minnesota Public Radio.
"Ultimately, the Senate has complete authority to determine who was elected," said Washington University political scientist Steven Smith.
According to Smith the Constitution allows the Senate to be the final arbiter of its membership. Smith said the Senate does so by determining the qualifications of each member.
On most occasions, Smith said the Senate simply accepts a state's election certificate, but it has diverted course a few times.
"There is a motion under Senate rules and precedents that allows any Senator to make a motion to refer the credentials to a committee, presumably the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over election matters, in order to delay action on it," explained Smith.If Coleman wins, it would make history, says Smart Politics.
A Coleman victory would mark the first time in Gopher State history that a Republican candidate won a full-term U.S. Senate seat whilst the state cast its electoral votes for a Democrat by double-digits.
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
