• Turned down a request by the Franken campaign to review rejected absentee ballots and count any that were improperly turned aside, saying it's beyond the board's authority. Said the issue is one for a court to settle.

• Agreed to meet again to decide whether local election officials should look at rejected absentee ballots and sort them, including one pile for ballots rejected for no specified statutory reason.

• Urged the Coleman and Franken campaigns to get together and cut the number of ballot challenges by eliminating those that appear unwarranted.