Tensions rise on Day 2 of Senate recount in Becker County DL-Online - Jason Adkins
Published Tuesday, November 25, 2008
DETROIT LAKES – The 55 missing and then found ballots, plus a high number of challenges by incumbent Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken’s campaigns, caused tensions to run high on Tuesday during Day 2 of the U.S. Senate recount in Becker County.The strife was seen in interaction between campaign observers from Coleman and Franken, and election officials monitoring the recount effort.With 112 ballots being challenged on Tuesday – bumping the total number of challenges to 137 over a day and a half of work – and ballots being misplaced on Election Day and found today, the novelty of having the first statewide recount in a general election in 46 years was wearing off.
Coleman's campaign made 74 challenges on Day 2 – 87 so far – and Franken’s observers made 38 challenges - bringing his total to 50 in Becker County thus far.
Statewide, a total of 3,594 ballots have been challenged thus far.
The recount for Toad Lake precinct was an issue as well. Five duplicate ballots were in the ballot box, but only one of the originals was found. Duplicate ballots are those created by election workers in case a ballot cannot be read by a machine.
Observers from the Coleman and Franken campaigns couldn’t agree on whether to use the duplicates or originals, so by default the originals were used. The Franken campaign wanted the duplicated to be used, but Becker County Auditor-Treasurer Ryan Tangen did not release a tally of what votes were recorded on the duplicates.
Only 10 precincts remain to be recounted on Wednesday.
Near the end of the recount, nine ballots were missing from Sugar Bush Township's totals.
As with missing ballots in Lake Eunice and Spruce Grove Townships earlier in the day, Tangen contacted township officials to see if the ballots were in the sealed ballot box in the township office.
All nine ballots were found in the ballot machine by 6:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Other disagreements that surfaced included who is acting as a lead observer for the Franken campaign, whether to count original or duplicate ballots, and to allow the recount to continue at one table by setting aside ballots from one precinct and move on to another one.
Tangen also questioned some of the challenges brought up and said that both sides are trying to match the number of challenges each candidate has thus far.
Joe Aronsen, a Franken observer, had an exchange with Tangen concerning voter intent on a ballot that was marked for Coleman.
At first, Aronsen asked why the election judge at his table was questioning his challenge.
“I don’t have to explain myself,” Aronsen said.
When asked if he was making a blanket challenge of Coleman ballots, he said, “I’m not blanketing anything.”
Whether the strain of the recount was affecting Tangen, it conveyed what he thought of the high number of challenges on the day.
“Do you have a basis for the challenge other than you feel that way?,” Tangen said to Aronsen.
Aronson replied: “You don’t get to decide whether a challenge is frivolous or not.”
Tangen eventually let the challenge go on to the state canvassing board and let them make the final decision.
Earlier in the day, Coleman’s lead observer, Andrew Schneider, seemed annoyed at the number of Franken observers making their opinions known.
He said that he wanted one person from the Franken campaign taking the lead so that the requests coming from that camp be clear, instead of having several observers making decisions without coordinating with one another.
The remaining precincts to be counted on Wednesday starting at 8 a.m. are Atlanta Township, City of Callaway, Callaway Township, Riceville Township, Round Lake Township, Shell Lake Township, Silver Leaf Township, Spring Creek Township, Two Inlets Township and Wolf Lake Township.
