http://blog.alfranken.com/2008/12/02/sos-directs-local-officials-to-review-uncounted-absentee-ballots/#more-755New Breakthrough in Effort to Count Every Vote: Secretary of State Directs Local Officials to Review Uncounted Absentee Ballots
Posted in Press Releases on December 2nd, 2008
Local Officials Will Re-Examine And Sort Previously Rejected Ballots - Ballots That Do Not Meet A Legal Qualification For Rejection Will Be Separated Out
Franken Campaign Applauds Efforts Of Elections Officials
SAINT PAUL <12/02/08> – In a major development toward counting improperly rejected absentee ballots, the Secretary of State’s office today directed county auditors and county and city election officials to review all previously-rejected absentee ballots and determine whether they fall under one of the four legal reasons for rejecting a ballot. The absentee ballot review will begin on December 8.
The communication, from Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann, lays out the four legal reasons for rejecting an absentee ballot:
The ballot was rejected because the voter’s name and address on the return envelope are not the same as the information provided on the absentee ballot application.
The voter’s signature on the return envelope is not the genuine signature of the individual who made the application for the ballot and the signature is required under applicable Minnesota law, or the certificate has not been completed as prescribed in the directions for casting an absentee ballot.
The voter was not registered and eligible to vote in the precinct or has not included a properly completed voter registration application.
The voter had already voted at the election, either in person or by absentee ballot.
Previously-rejected absentee ballots that do not fall into one of those four categories will be placed in a fifth pile. Under Minnesota state law, there is no other legal reason for rejecting an absentee ballot.
Communications Director Andy Barr:
“We appreciate the Secretary of State’s guidance and the hard work of the local elections officials who have done such great work throughout the election process. That process is not complete until every vote is counted. And today’s directive is an important step in ensuring that happens.”
The Franken campaign is focused on making sure every vote is counted — not only those included in the recount, but also those absentee ballots that have been improperly rejected and those that appear to have been lost. The Secretary of State has said there are roughly 12,000 absentee ballots rejected this past election. The Secretary of State has also estimated that 500 of them were wrongly rejected — a number greater than the likely difference between Coleman and Franken at the end of the hand count. The Franken campaign actually estimates this pile is even larger — up to 1,000 ballots.
We are determined to ensure that every Minnesotan who cast a vote — either in person or via absentee — ought to have that vote counted. And whether it is at the county level, at the canvass board, in the courts or before the United States Senate, we don’t know yet. But because we believe the principle that every vote cast ought to be counted is universal, we remain confident these votes will be counted.
No recount should be considered complete or accurate until all the ballots are counted — that includes the improperly rejected absentee ballots, and any missing ballots from around the state.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 14:47 and is filed under Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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