Last week, gubernatorial campaign representatives challenges hundreds upon hundreds of ballots during the recount.
This week, the campaigns' attorney took the bulk of those challenges away.
According to the secretary of state's office, there are just 181 challenged ballots left for the state canvassing board left to review, after Republican Tom Emmer withdrew 671 challenges and Democrat Mark Dayton withdrew 88 challenges.
The Emmer pace of withdrawal was such that Dayton's camp, which challenged far fewer ballots during the recount than the Emmer camp, actually will end up with one more challenge in front of the board than the Emmer camp. Dayton will have 91 to Emmer's 90.
During the U.S. Senate recount in 2008, the state canvassing board got through about 250 challenges a day. That means the board likely will not need Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to review challenges and could conceivably certify the election results before its planned meeting on Dec. 14.
Emmer representatives still have about 30 challenges deemed frivolous left after a mass withdrawal this weekend.
"The board still needs to decide if and when they will review the ballots with challenges deemed frivolous," the secretary of state's office said.
In a letter to the state canvassing board today, Emmer attorney Eric Magnuson asked the board to give those challenges, "fair consideration."
