by Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman’s race with the sharp-tongued Al Franken has gone into extra innings. Now the question becomes how recounting votes should be done and, perhaps more importantly, who will decide voters’ intent on bungled ballots.
To help with the former, Minnesota Public Radio has an excellent interactive sample of what recount officials will have to wade through in the process of determining what in effect has turned out to be a major turning point in how the U.S. Senate will be run for the next 6 years. That’s a lot of pressure.
Here’s some of their samples. Look at MPR’s site and see if your opinions are reflected by Minnesota state law. Also observe some of the twisted logic that campaign officials are using to try to get their guy more votes. It’s obvious that election judges need to have a good head on their shoulders, be able to resist campaign pressuring, and be fair-minded, obviously.
In my neck of the woods in Texas a local bond issue passed by a narrow margin and was immediately challenged. A recount will be taking place tonight, as a matter of fact. One of the recount judges is a personal friend of mind and I know her character to be above reproach. As for the other three, I can only hope.
As important as that election seems to the local school district, the Minnesota Senate race make it pale by comparison. Who is recounting the votes there and what are their credentials? The answers to those questions may determine the fate of the entire nation by providing or denying the Democrats the crucial 60th seat in the U.S. Senate.
The good news is that, at least in MPR’s sample, the right decisions should be made – if state law is followed.
