ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Norm Coleman asked the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday to order the counting of at least 1,359 additional ballots and possibly thousands more in his U.S. Senate race or go so far as to throw out the election entirely.
In filing a brief to the court, Coleman said counties didn’t follow the same standard for determining how absentee ballots were accepted or rejected. He is seeking to overcome Democrat Al Franken’s lead of 312 votes after a recount and a trial.
The brief focused mainly on uncounted absentee ballots, arguing that the "evidence of disparate treatment cannot be ignored — no matter how expedient it may be to do precisely that.”
Coleman offered options for the court to consider, including reducing each candidate’s total in places where absentee votes were improperly allowed or throwing out the entire election.
"Minnesota law may not authorize this Court to require a new election, but neither does it require the Court to certify a winner if the record does not admit of one,” his lawyers wrote.
Coleman also asked the court to revisit what he described as counting irregularities during the recount. He previously sought to add more ballots after a recount gave Franken the lead and a trial court agreed to let 351 ballots in. But more of those went to Franken.
by the associated press
In filing a brief to the court, Coleman said counties didn’t follow the same standard for determining how absentee ballots were accepted or rejected. He is seeking to overcome Democrat Al Franken’s lead of 312 votes after a recount and a trial.
The brief focused mainly on uncounted absentee ballots, arguing that the "evidence of disparate treatment cannot be ignored — no matter how expedient it may be to do precisely that.”
Coleman offered options for the court to consider, including reducing each candidate’s total in places where absentee votes were improperly allowed or throwing out the entire election.
"Minnesota law may not authorize this Court to require a new election, but neither does it require the Court to certify a winner if the record does not admit of one,” his lawyers wrote.
Coleman also asked the court to revisit what he described as counting irregularities during the recount. He previously sought to add more ballots after a recount gave Franken the lead and a trial court agreed to let 351 ballots in. But more of those went to Franken.
by the associated press
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