The 'Flying Spaghetti Monster' doesn't stop Al Franken from getting a vote.

[Eric J in MN]

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The UpTake, again live streaming the Minnesota State Canvassing Board’s meeting on the U.S. Senate recount, just featured a ballot cast for the candidate, Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The Coleman campaign challenged the ballot because FSM was written in for Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor, although the oval beside Franken’s name was clearly filled in; the vote went to Franken.


http://minnesotaindependent.com/20585/flying-spaghetti-monster-makes-minnesota-recount-appearance
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[ogneopasno]

1. Hilarious, and awesome, all at the same time.

[Renew Deal]

2. OK, which one of you did that.

:rofl:

[dems_rightnow]

3. So many challenges are just crap

I took a look at maybe 15-20 challenges this a.m., and all but one were crap.

All hte ones I saw on the website in my random perusal were Franken challenges, not sure why. He challenged at number of them for similar reasons, including them signing their ballot, far away from anything dealing with the Franken-Coleman vote.

I'd guess Coleman did the same, based on this.

[Posteritatis]

6. The Coleman challenges on split-ticket votes annoy the hell out of me

I've seen a bunch where the challenge amounted to "This person voted for Franken, but also voted for McCain! That's impossible!"

[dems_rightnow]

8. yeah, that's nutso

Hopefully those challenges are rejected quickly. People can, and do, vote for both parties.

[Eric J in MN]

10. If a person signs the ballot, then the ballot has to be tossed...

...under Minnesota law.

I don't know what the reason was for that law, but I've seen a theory that they were afraid of someone being bribed for his vote, signing his name and photographing the ballot as evidence.

The problem is that someone being bribed could give the briber an absentee ballot to mail, and so the law doesn't make sense now if it ever did.

[wellstone dem]

14. If they signed their ballot it is an invalid vote under Minnesota Law

and if you see votes clumped together, it is because in some counties the challengers tended to be more agressive from one side or the other.

Also, if you are looking at the canvassing board decisions, they looked at Franken challenges first, so all you would see are Franken votes if you looked at yesterdays challenges. If you look today, they are all Coleman challenges.

[dems_rightnow]

15. Thyanks!

I did wonder why I found no Coleman challenges.

[infidel dog]

4. flying spaghetti monster

I am relieved, theologically, to hear FSM has cast a noodly appendage into the political process. Shiver me timbers, mateys.

[Laelth]

5. Not sure the FSM is into Soil and Water Conservation.

But who am I to question a valid vote?

:dem:

-Laelth

[Sabriel]

9. Does durum wheat not come from soil and water?

Those are the origins of His Noodly Goodness.

[Laelth]

11. And where would pirates be without water?

You have a point.

:dem:

-Laelth

[KamaAina]

12. And, once refined and processed, is it not also boiled in water?

RAMEN!

[gollygee]

7. That was a stupid challenge

Someone makes a joke on one part of the ballot, and therefore the rest of the ballot shouldn't count? I bet if someone put "God Almighty" down under Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor, and then clearly filled in the oval for Coleman, he would have been able to tell the person intended to vote for him.

[wellstone dem]

13. But the Lizard People cost him one

Ballot number 86 of 95 on the Startribune website shows a Franken vote, and a "lizard people" in the write in section--written in but the oval not filled in.

The Board ruled it an overvote.

[Eric J in MN]

19. My guess is that it was a first-time voter who didn't understand...

...that the write-in section is optional.

[MrsMatt]

21. I heard that it was a protest vote

some guy claimed it was his. No link - it was something I heard on MPR a few weeks back.

[MiniMe]

16. Do you have the link to watch the canvassing board?

[Eric J in MN]

17. Link

http://theuptake.org/

[MiniMe]

22. Thanks!

:hi: It will be like watching paint dry.

[progressoid]

18. do you suppose the coleman people even got it?

[progressoid]

20. So Franken is up 273 to Colemans's 249 so far.

Hope the trend continues.