Coleman's Lead Dwindles to 2 Votes in Minnesota Senate Race

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Sen. Norm Coleman saw his lead over Al Franken in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race dwindle to just two votes Thursday. Meanwhile, a key court ruling put hundreds of improperly rejected ballots in play and promised the recount would drag into the new year.

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that improperly rejected absentee ballots be included in the state's recount. It ordered the candidates to work with the Secretary of State and election officials to set up a process to identify ballots that were rejected in error. Counties must make a report by Dec. 31.

The ruling came as the state Canvassing Board nearly erased what had been a 360-vote lead for Coleman before the panel began its third day of reviewing disputed ballots Thursday. The Republican incumbent had a 215-vote lead over the Democrat Franken after the initial count of the Nov. 4 election.

There are hundreds of challenges yet to decide, thousands of withdrawn challenges that have yet to be tallied and now the improperly rejected absentee ballots, estimated to number around 1,600. Franken supported and Coleman opposed counting those absentees.

The Supreme Court said the candidates will have a chance to challenge the absentees as they are unsealed and counted, just as they did during the earlier hand recount.

Justice Alan Page dissented. He warned that giving the candidates a say in identifying the ballots was a mistake.

Coleman's lead eroded all day Thursday as the Canvassing Board considered a pile of challenges brought entirely by the Coleman campaign. The pile included a big chunk of withdrawn challenges, many of which went quickly to Franken's column.

Fox

Why don't they just quit this legal wrangling and hold a special election like they did in Georgia? We won't know who really won because of all this wrangling. The winner of this election will be determined by the Minnesota supreme court. I say let the Minnesotan people have their say, and vote again.

NO on Prop 8

I'm hoping that Californians defeat Proposition 8 which declares gay marriage illegal. I was under the impression that gay marriage was already legal in California. Why did they have to put it back on the November ballot? One ruling wasn't good enough?

I voted against a similar proposition here in Arizona. Prop 102 declares marriage between a man and a woman. I consider marriage a commitment between two adults. I don't believe that anyone should be discriminated against because of who they love. Be it a male and a female, two males or two females. To me, marriage is a piece of paper legalizing a bond between two people.

The opponents of gay marriage want to protect marriage. What does that mean? They want to reserve marriage just for a man and a woman? Save marriage? I don't understand. If two homosexuals want to get married, why does it bother you? Don't you believe that everyone should have equal rights? I think they should. How does gay marriage hurt a marriage between a man and a woman? It's the same thing. Right?

I often hear people say, "oh let people keep their sex life in the bedroom." I'm sorry, but, the pursuit of gay marriage is not just about sex. A marriage is necessary for legal issues like insurance. You know, I find it repulsive that hospitals will not let a homosexual visit his or her partner in the hospital. Why won't a hospital not allow a homosexual to visit their partner in the hospital? What is this bullshit about family only? A loving partner is considered family in my book.

Please, America. Let's end this discrimination of homosexuals. The only difference between heterosexuals and homosexuals is the people they love. Love is something that is lacking in this world, don't ya think? To hate someone because of who they love is narrow mindedness. All homosexuals want is the same rights that heterosexuals have: the right to marry the person they love. Give them equality, vote no on proposition 8 and any other discriminatory bills that come along in the future. Make gay marriage legal.