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I love me some recounts!

Think that election law can't be hilarious? Think again. From today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune (which has done a fantastic job covering the Coleman/Franken recount):

The board clipped along at a rapid pace in its review of challenged ballots, aided by the withdrawal of challenges, but more time was needed for the study a handful of quizzical ballots, leading to some lighter moments.

One Bemidji voter blackened the oval for Franken, but also put an X through the oval and scribbled "Lizard People" on the write-in line.

" 'Lizard People' is not a genuine write-in" because there's no such person, Elias said.

"You don't know that there's not someone named 'Lizard People.' You don't," Magnuson said.

"You're right, you don't know," Trimble chimed in.

"Isn't 'People' plural? How can you have an individual named 'People?' " asked Ramsey County District Judge Edward Cleary, a board member.

After more back and forth, the board finally sided with Trimble and ruled it an overvote, not a vote for Franken.

Franken did better on a Sauk Rapids ballot that was marked for him but had "Flying Spaghetti Monster" and "FSM" written in other places. He also won a challenge on a Mankato ballot on which the voter had blackened his oval but extended his name to read "Al Frankenstin."

Trimble argued that the voter hadn't cast his vote for Franken, but for someone named Frankenstin. "The candidate is still identified as the candidate of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party," Elias countered. The board voted 3-2 to award the vote to Franken.

Full post as published by Supreme Dicta on December 19, 2008 (boomark / email).