Saying it wants every vote counted – including some rejected absentee ballots – Al Franken’s Senate campaign filed suit in Ramsey County District Court within the past hour seeking the names of those voters whose ballots were rejected.
Ramsey is among a number of counties that won’t share names with the campaign pursuant to Data Practices requests.
Hennepin County also has refused to turn over the names of voters of rejected ballots.
At a news conference this morning at Franken headquarters, heavy-hitting Washington, D.C.,-based elections lawyer Marc Elias, cited the example of an 84-year-old voter who had suffered a stroke. Her ballot was rejected because her post-stroke handwriting didn’t match her signature on her voter registration card.
“Her ballot didn’t count . . . yet,” said Elias, who is leading this aspect of the recount battle.
So, the campaign has gone to court suing Ramsey County.
“This is not about putting ballots in the count,’’ Elias said. “This is about giving us access to the data that will allow us to determine whether or not they are lawful ballots.”
The suit comes despite the pronouncement by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie Wednesday that rejected ballots will not be counted by the State Canvassing Board next Tuesday.
More details, reaction from Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign and other fallout later.
