Study Shows Franken Win Fueled by Felons
Back in 2008 former comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Al Franken won a Minnesota Senate seat from then incumbent Norm Coleman by a grand total of 312 votes after recount. Now, after an extensive by hand 18-month study, the conservative watchdog group Minnesota Majority found that at least 341 of the final votes tallied were from registered felons.
The county of Hennepin pretty much ignored the findings, while the county of Ramsey was slightly more outraged, claiming to take them "very seriously." While Minnesota Majority has no intention of challenging Franken's position, having no legal right to do so, they want to ensure the next election is held without these kind of errors.
Executive director of Minnesota Majority, Dan McGrath, had no qualms about the effort to fact check the voting records in his group's study. "We took the voting lists and matched them with conviction lists and then went back to the records and found the roster lists, where voters sign in before walking to the voting booth, and matched them by hand."
Once again though, a story like this shows clear partisan reactions. Had this been an accusation against a Republican candidate, there would be nationwide outrage and coverage, you'd see angry Democrats claiming the political process had been tainted and senators disgraced. Instead, if anything comes of this, it'll simply be the multiple arrests made for voter fraud.
Though it does suggest a larger problem. If indeed it's proven without a doubt that a candidate won the office by less votes than fraudulent votes were counted, should that candidate then be allowed to keep the office? Shouldn't there be (yet another) recount of the non-tainted votes? One would think so, yet there is no legal standing to support this. Once voted into office, whether or not through 100% clean votes, that's it. Game over.
Not to mention the problem of Minnesota not flagging the subsection of their population with felony records. Had they been flagged, their vote wouldn't have been counted because they wouldn't have been able to cast one in the first place.
There is no official statement from Franken on the matter, who I'm pretty sure doesn't want to poke the bear in this situation. He got what he wanted, a Senate seat where he could be heard. Unlike Air America, where no one heard him, because no one was listening. That part might not change.
Follow Technorati