As Brad points out, based on the website for the recount, results through today's counting show Franken has picked up 86 votes with 42.33% of the ballots recounted. If he were to maintain that rate of closing the gap he would gain about 203 votes once all were counted. That would leave him just about even with Coleman! Hopefully, some of the big city precincts (more liberal?) remain to be counted (which seems possible since 51% of precincts have been recounted but only about 42% of the ballots) and Franken's count will increase even more than the current projection.

Jeez....a bit unfair, what? We gather tons of evidence over the years that strongly point toward fraud but if we so much as whisper the possibility we are labeled left-wing conspiracy wingnuts and the party which many of us support disowns us.

They gather no evidence whatever and make up stuff freely and SHOUT fraud and their party --- oh, wait, it IS their party.

Here's to a full and accurate recount!

Play along at home! check out a sampling of actual questioned ballots and decide for yourself which ones should be counted and for whom, helpfully provided by Minnesota Public Radio:

http://minnesota.publicr...1/19_challenged_ballots/

Your opinion won't matter, but hey, it's still fun!

Fascinating link, Des! The ballot with the double write-in for "lizard people" gave me so much joy I've swiped it for my new screen-saver.

Makes me wish the whole recount proceedings were being live-streamed, and we could all could watch from home which ballots were being contested, by which party, and why. Instant transparency!

If there were solid sponsors, enough interest, and a friendly S.O.S.--that could be so easily done! Praying that day isn't as far off into the future as jet-packs, tele-porters, and corporate accountability.

The big difference I see compared to say, A Republican run election in a Southern state is that they're showing everything that's actually going on, similar to a Democracy.
What does worry me is that the Republicans really do steal elections as evidenced by their projecting that the Dems are stealing them...(always accuse the other side of what you're actually doing first), so we have to be vigilant from now on

Go Gopher state!, still a (fairly chilly) liberal bastion in this land of kooks and thieves.

Can someone explain why the Republican complaint about same day registration is bogus? It sounds kinda valid to me, now that I think about it. Their voter suppression tactics are as anti-democratic as you can get. But it seems like same day registration does invite fraudulent voting, since it doesn't give the county clerks (or whoever does it) any time to verify the new registrations. I thought that was the point of making someone register a month or so ahead of time, so the registration can be verified.

I wouldn't have a problem with it if all votes cast by people who have registered less than a month before the election were automatically provisional ballots. But otherwise, their argument makes sense. Unless I'm missing something?

RickD, if you are a resident of a state and a citizen of this country, you should be able to vote no matter when you decided to go into the voting booth. This is not a Stalinist Democ...oh wait...

For RickD24;from the Minnesota SOS website

Q: How do I register to vote?
A: Fill out a voter registration card and return it in person or by mail to your county auditor or the secretary of state.
Voter registration forms are available at county courthouses, city halls and other public buildings throughout the state, in many telephone books, in your state tax booklet (in even-numbered years) or by downloading a copy by clicking here.

You may also register to vote when you apply for or renew your Minnesota driver's license or state identification card.

Q: Can I register to vote on election day?
A: You can register at your polling place on election day. You will need one of the following to verify your residence:
Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, identification card, or receipt for one, with your current address
Tribal ID**
If the Minnesota license, Tribal ID or MN State ID has a former address, you may bring a recent utility bill* to use with your license
“Notice of Late Registration” postcard
U.S. passport with utility bill*
U.S. military photo ID card with utility bill*
Prior registration listed on roster at former address in precinct
Oath of a registered voter in precinct ("vouching")
If you are a student, you can use...
Student ID, registration, or fee statement with your current address
Post Secondary Student photo ID with utility bill*
Post Secondary Student ID if you are on a student housing list on file at the polling place
For those who live in a residential facility. including nursing homes, battered women's shelters, homeless shelters and other licensed facilities, an employee who will vouch that you live there (if the facility has provided the county with a certified list of employees)
*Note: The utility bill must have your name, current address, and be due within 30 days of the election. Utility bills may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cell phone or cable TV

**Tribal identification cards that contain the name, address, signature and picture of the tribal member will have the same status as a Minnesota driver license. Therefore, such tribal identification cards are sufficient proof of identity and residency, and may be used without any other documentation to register to vote on election day in the precinct in which the address on the tribal identification card is located, without regard to whether the tribal members live on or off their tribal reservations.

Tribal identification cards with a photo that do not contain any address or a current address can be used in combination with a current utility bill to register to vote on election day in the precinct in which the address on the utility bill is located.

The Republican complaints about the election process strike me as well founded.

They shouldn't blame Franken, however, he did not create the system.

However, in the future we need to upgrade voter registration systems to assure that those who register to vote are legal citizens.

"Count every vote, even the illegal ones" is not a defensible policy.

Can someone please explain how these are gains for Franken? Were they miscounted (misread/mistabulated) votes, or are they previously uncounted votes that were challenged and are now getting the proper vetting? If they are only being challenged since the recount started, how is it a gain for one candidate or another? Please give a more thorough explanation and not as much of an inside baseball description.
I am more interested in whether the machines made mistakes than in who won or lost (though I would like to see Franken win). If the machines made mistakes that would hopefully convince Franken that he needs to be an advocate for election integrity and not rely on the machines to tabulate.

Lance, how many cases of voter fraud have occurred in Minnesota, that would make you think that? Did I miss something? Those concerns don't seem well founded at all.

Is there any indication from these figures that "spoiled" and "voided" ballots are being checked for voter intent? It doesn't look like it from this review.

@ LANCE

If anyone can provide an example of a non-US citizen voting in an election, then I will start worrying about it. Until someone proves that this is happening, I have plenty of problems that *are* happening to worry about. I won't waste any time worrying about things that are unlikely, and appear to be nothing more than distractions from the real problems.

YMMV.

Brad,

The MN SOS recount webpage has updated the recount tallies as of 8PM EST last night.

I can't figure out if Franken has gained or lost votes since it lists Coleman ahead.

can you provide us with an update this weekend? I know you're trying to get some downtime.

Lance (#10) and RickD24 (#7),

After reading W4B's (#9) comment which includes the requirements for voter registration in MN, what would you suggest be done to "verify" the registrations that is not already done on the day the registration is completed? IOW, how would registrations completed on election day be treated any differently than registrations completed 30 days prior to election day?

Lora,

Hey, don't link me with Lance! Note that Lance posted AFTER W4B posted the rules. I didn't know the rules, W4B was kind enough to take the time and look them up. And they look pretty solid to me.