Franken staying out of court -- for now

From NBC's Carrie Dann Senate candidate Al Franken will not appeal a decision by the Minnesota State Canvassing Board, which today rejected the Democrat's request that rejected  absentee ballots be included in the race's hotly contested recount. The canvassing board's decision was perceived as a blow to Franken, who trailed Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by just 283 votes Wednesday with about 80% of the recount completed. Some of the absentee ballots appear to have been improperly rejected due to administrative errors, and the Franken team hoped that -- when inspected -- the reconsidered ballots would yield votes to close Coleman's razor-tight advantage. In announcing its decision this morning, canvassing board members emphasized that the Franken camp's request was not rejected on legal grounds, but because it is unclear if the board has the jurisdiction to mandate that the ballots be reexamined. Estimates by the Franken camp and the Minnesota Secretary of State ... (link)