DFLer Al Franken has a 49-vote lead over Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, out of about 2.9 million ballots cast. When the recount began on Nov. 19, Coleman led by 215 votes.
DEVELOPMENTS
• Local election officials and the campaigns wrapped up a statewide examination of about 1,350 unopened absentee ballots that might have been wrongly rejected. Of the ballots reviewed, more than 950 were sent to the Secretary of State's office in St. Paul and are to be opened and counted starting today.
• The Minnesota Supreme Court sought more information as it considered a Coleman campaign request to have hundreds of additional rejected absentee ballots reviewed. The court wants the information by 9 a.m. today.
