Norm Coleman cited the right reasons -- and avoided the spurious ones -- as he announced Tuesday that he would pursue an election contest in state courts, challenging the Canvassing Board's finding that he came up short in his U.S. Senate reelection bid. On Monday, the board certified results that put DFLer Al Franken ahead of Coleman by 225 votes.
The Republican now-former senator spoke of his court appeal as the next, natural step in Minnesota's legally prescribed process for determining the winner in very close elections. That it is. He also cited his contention that not every valid vote has yet been counted, and that some votes have been double-counted. Those are matters of dispute; a court proceeding can settle those disputes by seeking evidence and taking sworn testimony.
To his credit, Coleman refrained from bashing the work of the state Canvassing Board or its leader, DFL Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. The Canvassing Board lacked the authority to settle disputes of the kind that have left the outcome of this very tight Senate election still in doubt. No credible evidence of intentionally biased or partisan actions on the part of Ritchie or the Canvassing Board has come to light.
Some of the several score Coleman backers who jammed the press conference room Tuesday were not as restrained. They boisterously accused Ritchie of biased decision-making and Capitol reporters of incomplete coverage. These GOP partisans apparently overlooked the fact that nearly all Canvassing Board decisions were unanimous, and two of the five members of the board were put on the state Supreme Court by GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
