MN-Sen: Coleman lead down to 172 votes
Daily Kos — ... Some of these may be frivolous, but some not so much. Follow the link for pictures of various challenged ballots, and take the quiz courtesy of Minnesota public radio. ...

Think You Can Run the Minnesota Recount? Here's a Test
MoJo Blog Posts: mojo — ... ballots in the Franken/Coleman Senate recount to illustrate just how hard it is to determine voter intent. What do you do, for example, when someone votes for Franken but also writes in "Lizard People"? What do you do when someone votes for Franken, but then draws an arrow to the Coleman circle? What do you do when someone doesn't mark a circle, but puts a scribble next to one of the candidates' names? Take a look for yourself here, and vote on whether each ballot should count here.

Challenged Ballots: You Decide
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire — Minnesota Public Radio posts some of the challenged ballots in the manual recount currently underway in Minnesota's undecided U.S. Senate race. ...

MN-Sen: You Be the Judge
Swing State Project — Minnesota Public Radio has some great images of contested ballots currently being contested in the MN-Sen recount. Here are a few: Should it count for Al? So the TV miniseries "V" was actually a documentary? ...

Can Franken Win? Yes, He Could, Maybe.
TPM Election Central — ... By the way, if you want to see what these challenged ballots look like, Minnesota Public Radio has posted photos. Some of them seem like they'll be easily called for either Coleman or Franken -- possibly more of them for Franken -- once they go to the canvassing board in December. ...

and zombie teacher for governor
skippy the bush kangaroo — minnesota public radio sez you be the judge: who gets the vote? (mpr photo/tom robertson) the county auditor threw out this ballot, considering it an overvote, but al franken challenged this decision. we suppose the lizard people did, too.

Judge the Ballot
PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — ... Minnesota Public Radio has a nifty set of examples of ballots in need of judging in the Franken-Coleman race. Check it out: Challenged ballots: You be the judge. ...

Recounting
Ben Smith's Blog — Minnesota Public Radio has some entertaining samples of the ballots now being examined for voter intent.

Franken Ballot Challenge: 'He Was Underlining Al'
News — ... Recount observers for Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Democrat Al Franken are doing their darndest to win more votes for their candidates. One contested ballot, posted by Minnesota Public Radio , features bubbles filled in for both Coleman and Franken, but with a line drawn through Franken's name. A Franken volunteer, however, said that the line showed the voter backed the Democrat. "He was underlining Al," said Jeff Lange. See the ballot here: [image] In a ballot challenged by Coleman's team, a voter filled in the bubble next to Franken's name. But the Coleman observer said ...

Images of some of the challenged ballots in Minnesota
Anne Schroeder's Blog — ... And:                     There are tons more, including The Oops, The Thumbprint, The Dot,...

Disputed Coleman-Franken ballots: You make the call!
Hot Air » Top Picks — ... The big A’s answer sheet: 1. Franken. Looks less like an arrow than a leaky pen. 2. Accept. If not, why not test each ballot for DNA too? 3. Reject. Please. The guy was testing his pen. 4. Franken. Self-explanatory. 5. Lizard people. He X’ed out the Franken oval. 6. Franken. Although people quite this stupid shouldn’t vote. 7. Coleman. Guy changed his mind, or else started filling in the wrong oval. 8. Franken. Please. Either a pen test or a change of mind. 9. Barkley. Arguably an even feebler challenge than the one AmSpec highlighted yesterday. 10. Barkley. See #9 ...

Minnesota Recount: Barkley vs. Franken vs. Coleman vs. Lizard People
BAGnewsNotes — ... Vote here ... or better yet, discuss here and then see who's challenging what in each case and vote at Minnesota Public Radio. ...

Disputed Votes in Minnesota: You Be the (Election) Judge
Ace of Spades HQ — Disputed Votes in Minnesota: You Be the (Election) Judge A few silly challenges by Coleman, but I'm pretty sure those are defensive challenges to counter Franken's many silly challenges. On one card, the voter clearly and fully fills the bubble for Independent Dean Barkley, and has clearly erased some sort of a mark by Franken's name. Franken's claim? Clearly a vote for Franken. Take the quiz. ...

Examples of challenged ballots in Minnesota
Sister Toldjah — The Minnesota Public Radio website has posted several examples (bigger pictures here) of ballots that have been challenged in one way or another by both the Franken and Coleman campaigns respectively, and asks that you be the judge on whether the ballots should be counted, and if they should be counted who they should be counted for. Make sure to vote in each one. I have to say after looking at some of those ballots and seeing the way they were filled out - especially the ones that have marks in two different ...

Cast your own votes on the recount
Betsy's Page — You can check out these ballots that the Coleman and Franken campaigns are challenging in the recount. It really demonstrates how silly these things have gotten when the Franken campaign challenges a clear vote for Coleman because the voter erased the Franken oval and filled in the Coleman oval. But the nit-picking isn't limited to the Franken people. The Coleman people are challenging a ballot where the voter filled in the Franken oval and then wrote in "Lizard People" in the space for a write in candidate. Head on over there and figure out how you would determine if you were ...

Oh for the pecking pity of PETE.
Rachel Lucas — ... That contested ballot I posted a pic of earlier? Ha. Only the tip of the ‘tardburg. And it’s not just Franken’s people who are clinically insane, either. Here’s a whole grab-bag of them (via ...

Democracy At Work
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan — You can vote on which Minnisoda votes should count. Kind of meta, no?

Minnesota: Perverse Incentives to Challenge Ballots?
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right — ... Minneapolis Public Radio has examples of many challenged ballots. As you can see, the reason for the challenges run the gamut from the obvious to the frivolous. In some cases, ballots may also be challenged by both campaigns. ...

Thursday's Mini-Report
Political Animal — ... to help Hillary Clinton become Secretary of State. * Minnesota Public Radio posted a terrific feature showing examples of contested ballots in the Coleman-Franken Senate race. * Now that the election is over, Michele Bachmann can go back to ...

'Daily Voting News' For November 20, 2008
The BRAD BLOG — ... FL: Opinion - Remember 'voter fraud'? Scandal was Mickey Mouse http://www.palmbeachpost..._acornleadedit_1120.html KY: Kenton County - Secretary says state will look into poll problems http://www.wztv.com/temp...5d79-www.fox17.com.shtml MN: Senate recount afternoon update http://blogs.citypages.c.../11/senate_recount_5.php MN: Challenged ballots: You be the judge http://minnesota.publicr...1/19_challenged_ballots/ MN: One challenge ...

Fun With Ballots
Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines — ... Minnesota’s ballot battle is underway as Al Franken and Norm Coleman’s contest for the senate comes down to a recount and voter intent. Minnesota Public Radio has decided not to let the campaigns have all the fun of chucking (or un-chucking) ballots. Now you can, too! Have your say here. (via Political Wire) READ THE WHOLE ITEMRelated Entries November 19, 2008 Not a Scratch on That Glass Ceiling November 19, 2008 The New Longevity November 19, ...

Can’t Wait To See What Racist Al Thinks Should Count For Him
Pirate's Cove — ... discusses other ballot issues. Me, I think they should give the seat to the Lizard People, see what kind of leaders they are ...

Can’t Wait To See What Racist Al Thinks Should Count For Him
Stop The ACLU — ... discusses other ballot issues . Me, I think they should give the seat to the Lizard People, see what kind of leaders they are Lizard People

Franken Gaining But It Will Be Very Close in Minnesota
Open Left - Front Page — ... votes have already been recounted. In the remaning he is on pace to gain another 9 votes. All together Franken is on pace to gain 130 more votes which would leave him 6, yes 6, votes short of Coleman. Then it would come down to to the challenged ballots, currently 414 challenged by Franken and 409 challanged by Coleman. There's also the uncounted absentee ballots that the courts there must rule on. At any rate, it's going to be close. I hope we don't lose by one vote for Lizard People.

Weigh in on the Minnesota Recount
Patterico's Pontifications — ... Go here and look at some sample ballots that are being challenged in the Franken/Coleman Senate recount. You can vote on whether the ballot should be counted for Franken, Coleman, or nobody. ...

How Many Ways to Mark a Ballot?
PoliPundit.com — ... Friday, November 21st, 2008 How Many Ways to Mark a Ballot? Decide for yourself whether each of these ballots should go to Norm Coleman or Al Franken. -- ...

Democracy In America
Ross Douthat — Via Allahpundit, you too can play Minnesota Election Judge. 

Coleman's Lead Shrinks
Hoffmania! — ... It's fascinating to see some of the ballots they're coming across in the hand count. Even more fascinating are the arguments being made by both sides on what the intent of the voters were. See them here. ...

Even more disputed Coleman-Franken ballots!
Hot Air » Top Picks — ... Share my joy at the realization that this is now a running feature , ensuring days’ worth of easy peasy content to come. The new ballots are up top at the link; my answer sheet follows. But first, a reversal on one of yesterday’s calls. ...

Need More Proof That Dems Are Trying to Steal Minnesota Senate Election?
Flopping Aces — ... Here are examples of ballots for the incumbent Norm Coleman(R) that the Franken campaign is challenging in the hand recount that is underway (full recount results ...

More Disputed Coleman-Franken Ballots
News — ... that seemed indicate clear votes for either Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) or Democrat Al Franken but were challenged by recount observers anyways. MPR has posted more of them, a couple of which you can see below. The Franken campaign challenged the following ballot, arguing that the 'X' mark over Coleman's bubble indicated the voter's attempt to cross out a vote. [image] A Coleman observer flagged the following ballot, noting that Franken's bubble was filled using a pencil while the bubble for president was filled by pen. [image] At the start of Friday, Coleman led Franken by ...

Shots from the Show 11/21
Tammy Bruce — **This post will be updated throughout the show** The Coleman/Franken challenged ballots. You be the judge! The recount is about half finished, and Coleman's lead is now at 137. WaPo: The Friday Line: Ten Republicans To Watch Too many trips by drug tourists strain Dutch tolerance

You Too Can Reject a Minnesota Senate Ballot:
The Volokh Conspiracy — Why let the Norm Coleman and Al Franken campaigns have all the fun. Thanks to Minnesota Public Radio, you can look at pictures of actual ballots cast in the Minnesota Senate race and vote on whether you think they contain votes that should be counted. In case you think it relevant, ...

Handicapping the Minn. senate recount
The Swamp — ... To clarify the arduous process, Minnesota Public Radio has posted a page with photos of several challenged ballots look like. After reading an explanation on the state law regarding identifying marks and voter intent, readers can cast their own vote - on whether they think the ballot should be disqualified. ...

Minnesota Senate Race Debacle Exposes Land of Bad Jokes and Lizard People
BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash — ... As Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reports, there are a couple of chuckle-worthy ballots being examined this week. In the interest of full disclosure, the ballot blooper closest to my Minnesotan heart was the voter who must have accidentally marked incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and then, realizing his/her terrible mistake, wrote "NO" in capital letters beside the senator's name. ...

Stealing the Vote
damnum absque injuria — ... is now talking back), check out some of the ballots that are at issue in the Minnesota recount (which, depending on the net effect of the Looneytarian Party’s contribution in Georgia, may ultimately prove only slightly less important than the endless recounts in 2000). Leave a Reply Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Previous: ...

Saturday Morning Links
The Agitator — ... Minnesota public radio has a fun web feature where you can judge some of the disputed ballots in the Coleman/Franken Senate race recount. ...

Who Is Targeted On “Grapevine’s” Two Minutes Of Hate? Al Franken and Helen Jones Kelly – Both Democrats – Surprise, Surprise!
News Hounds — ... The Franken item (the second of the group entitled "Chipping Away") was, according to "Grapevine," sourced from a Minnesota Star Tribune article which, according to "Grapevine," shows just how “dogged” the Franken campaign is in challenging ballots. A photo of a ballot, which might show Coleman’s name selected, was shown as an example of what is being challenged. Naturally they didn’t show other questionable ballots which both candidates are challenging. Naturally they didn’t reveal that Coleman’s lead has shrunk to ...

Who Is Targeted On “Grapevine’s” Two Minutes Of Hate? Al Franken and Helen Jones-Kelly – Both Democrats – Surprise, Surprise!
News Hounds — ... The Franken item (the second of the group entitled "Chipping Away") was, according to "Grapevine," sourced from a Minnesota Star Tribune article which, according to "Grapevine," shows just how “dogged” the Franken campaign is in challenging ballots. A photo of a ballot, which might show Coleman’s name selected, was shown as an example of what is being challenged. Naturally they didn’t show other questionable ballots which both candidates are challenging. Naturally they didn’t reveal that Coleman’s lead has shrunk to ...

Joshuah Bearman: Al Franken -- or lizard people? You decide!
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — From a website showing examples of challenged ballots, my favorite: What this guy didn't realize is that a vote for Al Franken already is a vote for the lizard people! -- For more awesome insights mixed with oddities of every variety, my blog is here!

MN U.S. Senate Hand Count: Challenged Ballots by Both Franken and Coleman Balloon on Day 3
The BRAD BLOG — ... Here's a look at a handful of some of those challenged ballots from Minnesota Public Radio, who has been posting some of them, and allowing readers to decide which way they should be adjudicated in a reader's poll. ...

The Minnesota Senate Ballot Challenge-a-thon
Daily Kos — Minnesota Public Radio has posted a sampling of the ballots challenged by both sides in the senate recount. Here's my favorite 'close call': The Coleman campaign challenged this ballot, arguing the voter didn't intend to vote for Franken, because of the small dot inside the bubble next to Dean Barkley's name. ...

Minnesota: Recount Favoring Franken?
Politics Daily — ... , with both campaigns making questionable challenges. Examination of the examples available at the Minnesota Public Radio website show the Franken challenges by far to be the most absurd. ...

MN U.S. Senate Hand-Count: A Vote for McCain Must be a Vote for Coleman, Says Coleman Camp
The BRAD BLOG — ... of how the numbers of challenged ballots, by both the Franken and Coleman campaigns in Minnesota's U.S. Senate hand count, have been ballooning as the count proceeds. In some cases, there are good reasons to challenge ballots on the basis of whether the voter's intent is clear or not. ...

Coleman-Franken Minn. Senate race comes down to votes by several dolts
Top of the Ticket — ... Thanks to Minnesota Public Radio, we can all at least partially understand now the predicament of the poor election judges trying to decipher what in the world many Minnesota voters had in mind -- or if they had one when they voted. ...

Lizard People Could Be Decisive in Minnesota
Swampland — ... was thinking. This fine citizen both filled in the bubble for Al Franken and wrote in a vote for "Lizard People." The county auditor/treasurer has ruled that this is an invalid overvote. Franken's representatives have challenged that decision. I am looking forward to the press conference when Franken admits that he is in fact one of the "Lizard People," which might help his case before the canvassing board. To see pictures of some of the challenged ballots, including "Lizard People," click here. ...

Minnesota Recount: Another 171 ballots suddenly appear
Hot Air » Top Picks — ... state law lays out rules for determining a voter’s intent, and it says if the ballot is valid and the intent is clear, then the vote counts. Minnesota Public Radio reporters used those guidelines, and examined all 1,000 ballots. About 350 were clearly votes for Coleman. 330 were clear Franken votes. Another 100 or so wouldn’t go to either candidate under state law. That left only 206 ballots where the law didn’t provide clear guidance about what to do with the vote. MPR provides a sample of ten ballots from yesterday’s effort and the ability to vote on each one.  In my ...

How dumb are some voters?
Betsy's Page — I've been fascinated by the glimpse we've gained into the contested ballots in the Minnesota race. The Star Tribune has been putting some of those ballots online so you can make your own judgment on whether a contested vote should be counted and which candidate should get the vote. Check out and decide for yourself. I would have thought that in this age when every school kid has to take standardized tests and is taught in about second grade how to bubble in an answer sheet that people would know how to bubble in an oval, but apparently that is beyond some people, even when ...