Dispute over burned ballots headed to court

startribune.com ^ | Published Dec. 18, 2002 | Conrad deFiebre

[luv2ndamend]

Complaining of a "Chicago count" by the State Canvassing Board, Republicans and a voter from Austin, Minn., are challenging the 11-vote victory awarded to DFLer Dan Sparks following a recount in a state Senate race.

An election contest lawsuit filed today in Mower County District Court must be tried within 15 days. An appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court is likely to follow, extending the dispute beyond the convening of the Legislature on Jan. 7.

[Fish out of Water]

bump

[nicmarlo]

Ping re FReepers Against Voter Fraud and archiving

[luv2ndamend]

Do not forget this one. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/808109/posts

[ambrose]

Burn unfavorable ballots, and then count them for the Rat, with no evidence left behind?? Even Algore didn't have the Chutzpah to try that one in Florida.

[jdege]

If Sparks is seated, DFLers will hold a 35-32 majority in the Senate, their narrowest edge in 30 years.

If Sparks is seated, the DFLers will hold a 35-31-1 majority in the Senate.

The one independent, Shiela Kiscaden, was a Republican who was denied endorsement by her district convention, and who ran as the Independence candidate, instead of challenging in the primary.

She's said she'll caucus as a Republican, but the distinction matters.

(For what it's worth, the breakdown last session was 39-27-1).

[weegee]

A new dirty trick for the national elections. Try it out in Peoria. If it bombs there, no one notices. If it works, then take it national.

[weegee]

This is what happens when courts rule that "voter intent" can be used to "estimate" votes for a candidate.

[supercat]

...giving Sparks eight votes from ballots that were mistakenly burned by an election judge...

Do election judges normally carry around lit candles, or what gives here!? and three more from ballots marked for all the other candidates.

How the [bleep] are those votes!?

[FreedomCalls]

... ballots that were mistakenly burned by an election judge ...

WTF?? What were the circumstances?

[TheLion]

"giving Sparks eight votes from ballots that were mistakenly burned by an election judge and three more from ballots marked for all the other candidates".

Boy, this is a new twist. Cheat and burn the evidence. You can bet the farm, this is exactly what transpired. The gall of these people is amazing. How the hell could ballots get burned to begin with?

[sweetliberty]

"How the hell could ballots get burned to begin with?"

It was probably a combination of the lighter fluid and the the box of lit matches that someone "accidentally" dropped in the box of ballots.

[TheLion]

"a combination of the lighter fluid and the the box of lit matches that someone "accidentally" dropped in the box of ballots".

I think you nailed it!