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Could recount rewrite the Senate race?
A mere mention of the word "recount" triggers memories of hanging chads, court battles and Florida in 2000. But something you should know, say Minnesota election officials, is that this isn't Florida. "Florida had no state voter intent law like we do, which was one of the reasons that their recount was so chaotic," said Joe Mansky, the chief elections official in Ramsey County. He explained, as Minnesota prepares to review each of the nearly 3 million ballots cast in the U.S. Senate race here, a state law makes it much easier to decide how those votes should be registered. Election judges in every county and major cities will look for any marks that clearly indicate a voter's intent. A circle around the candidate's name, a check mark, or an "x" all can be interpreted legally as signaling a voter's intent, even though that voter failed to fill in the optical-scan oval as directed. Those votes that wouldn't have been counted by a scanning machine will be counted now, and a panel made up of four judges and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie will settle any disputes. "Any that are questionable or challenged go in a third pile, and they will eventually come to the canvassing board for being determined, ultimately, if we know the voters intent or not," Ritchie said. As of Wednesday night, Republican incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman was leading his Democratic challenger Al Franken by 477 votes, or .01 percent. A margin narrower than .5 percent triggers an automatic recount under Minnesota state law. In Ramsey County, Mansky said about two of every 1,000 ballots cast in any given election typically are defective, meaning they weren't counted by the optical scan machines. Extrapolated statewide, that means there could be almost 6,000 new votes in the recount -- more than enough to swing the election. Coleman said he was opposed to the recount Wednesday and claimed he won the election. He blamed Franken for the recount, despite the fact that their virtual dead heat automatically triggered the recount. "Mr. Franken has the right to pursue an official review of the election results," Coleman said. "It is up to him whether such a step is worth the tax dollars it will take to conduct." Secretary of State Ritchie said the automatic recount would cost three cents per ballot, or roughly $87,000. Franken said the votes should be counted. "We are lucky enough to live in a state with built-in protections to ensure that, in close elections like these, the will of the people is accurately reflected in the outcome," Franken said. The official recount begins in two weeks and could stretch into December or beyond. Both candidates will send observers to every county to watch the people reviewing the ballots. And both candidates have enlisted former U.S. attorneys to represent them in court if they're not satisfied with the way the recount is going. David Lillehaug is representing Franken and said they would look into reports of voting irregularities. Tom Heffelfinger is representing Coleman and said, in a statement, "The Secretary of State must ensure, without delay, the security of all ballots in the state, and to ensure that the voters of Minnesota have the highest degree of confidence that their votes are being protected aggressively."
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