Photo: Tom Emmer for Governor, Facebook
Photo: Tom Emmer for Governor, Facebook

Emmer talks recount plans, notes ‘questions’ about ballots

By Andy Birkey
Tuesday, November 09, 2010 at 3:23 pm

In his first media appearance since election night, Republican candidate for governor Tom Emmer met with reporters at the Minnesota state capitol Tuesday to address the recount. He declined to weigh in on the state GOP’s allegations of incompetence and fraud, but he did frequently allude to reported irregularities in Hennepin County on election night.

“The Minnesota voters have spoken — we just don’t know what they’ve said yet,” Emmer said. “There’s a process in place that is moving forward. We should know shortly what the outcome is, at least we are hopeful for that.”

“I’m just going to let the process go as it is supposed to by law.”

He said that so far the canvassing process has resulted in some gains for Emmer.

“Since 10 a.m. last Wednesday, we have gained over a thousand votes, and there are some questions that remain with respect to absentee ballots, with respect to military ballots, with respect some incredible mistake that was supposedly corrected in Hennepin County,” he said. “I think these things need to be addressed.”

He added, “Clearly there was something going on that nobody really understands right now.”

But that incident has been pretty well explained by Hennepin County. When updated numbers came in from county precincts at 10 p.m. on election night, a Hennepin County election worker accidentally added those numbers to the total unofficial count instead of taking the old numbers out and replacing them with the new numbers.

But despite that — and the fact that the election night results were not official — state party chair Tony Sutton has been trying to cast doubt about the integrity of the entire election.

But when pressed directly on whether Emmer thought there was incompetence or fraud, he said, “I think we will let the process work itself out.”

At the press conference, Emmer said it is possible for him to make up the difference in votes. “You’ve got a 0.4 percent separation, just a few thousand votes.”

He said he would abide by the outcome of the process.

Other moments from the conference:

On the hiring of former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Eric Magnuson, Emmer said, “I think he’s one of the most respected, if not the most respected, legal jurist in Minnesota.”

On his leaving the country to Canada and absence from the press over the last week, he said, “I got about as far away from here as I could for a few days. Forgive me if after 16 months, if I took the better part of Friday, Saturday and Sunday… I took time to spend with my boys. I’ve been trying to honor some family time as well.”

Asked if he would file a legal challenge if the recount didn’t go his way, he said. “I think that’s premature. Minnesotans need to have confidence that the legal process that is in place is followed.”

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Comments

8 Comments

Richard
Comment posted November 9, 2010 @ 3:34 pm

If this was an election that was so loaded with fraud, how do we know the Republicans actually won the House and the Senate? Oh right, it’s only fraud when they don’t win. Sutton and Emmer are cut from the same cloth. They lost but don’t care for the facts. If we had voter ID and they lost then they would have to come up with some other stupid idea.


Michael Cavlan RN
Comment posted November 9, 2010 @ 7:46 pm

Oh Look

Allegations of Election Fraud. Democrats and their apologists in the Minnesota Independent respond by scurrying around like frightened mice.

Squeak Squeak

I was an Official Observer in the 2004 Ohio Re-Count. One of nine people from Minnesota who went. I happen to know a bit about REAL Voter Fraud.

Oh and in the very near future I intend to write an article on how both Dems and Repubs practice voter suppression. Along with all of the apologists for the rotten, corrupt, pro-war two party system.

George Carlin was right. Forget the politicians. They are there to give you the image that you have a choice. You don’t. You have owners. They OWN you.

It’s a big club folks and we ain’t in it.

Sadly, it appears that a lot of people do not possess the political courage and integrity to deal with that.


Zera Lee
Comment posted November 10, 2010 @ 10:46 am

Now that we know the GOP is willing to bag on the Tea Party agenda, let’s hold the entire election over again.


Cherry
Comment posted November 10, 2010 @ 11:09 am

Richard’s right……if there was rampant voter fraud and irregularities then the GOP couldn’t possibly have won the house and the senate. Time to give it a rest, GOP.


Michael Cavlan RN
Comment posted November 10, 2010 @ 4:07 pm

Well the ironies in this discussion are endless.

First, Mark Dayton as a Senator stated “Those who talk of
Election Fraud, while well meaning are seriously misguided.”

He had been the very next Senator to speak on this after
Senator Barbara Boxer had called for a public investigation
into the very real and serious issue of election fraud and voter
suppression that happened in Ohio and elsewhere in 2004.

I know because I was there in Ohio as an Official Observer on
behalf of the Libertarian and Green Parties. I watched as Mark
Dayton said this. My heart sank.

In this election, the right did a half hearted attempt of voter
suppression with their scary adds of Felons going to prison.

There was threats of hundreds of Election Integrity “watching”
for “illegal activity.” In response there was another group set up
called Election Protection. It would appear that the threatened
“hundreds” of Election Integrity activists never materialized.

It would appear that the right are “all sound and fury, signifying
nothing.”

The closest I came to see this was a Republican Lawyer who showed
up at the Brian Coyle Community Center. Where all those “dark
skinned, funny talking Somali folks” go to cast their ballot.

We had a delightful discussion on real voter fraud and racist,
bigoted idiots who perpetuate it. He “laughed” but for some
funny reason did not seem really amused.

Back to Mark Dayton though. What an irony. The former Senator who
would not take a stand on election fraud and the IMHO the deliberate
suppression of voters right to cast their ballot, in direct violation
of the 1965 Voters Rights Act is now facing a Re-Count. From a
bitter, angry group of right wing fruit loops who have the gall
to speak of Voter Fraud.

The ironies of this hurt my head on so many levels.

So when I see a right wing fruit loop prattle on inanely
about Voter Fraud, well I just chuckle.

The really funny thing is, the right wing nut jobs and the weally weally
pwogwessive folks all seem to, well say nothing when this aspect is
brought up.

Almost like while both parties argue in public, in Kabuki Theatre
style, they actually get along quite well in private and behind smoke
filled rooms.

George Carlin said it well in his “comedy bit” The Real Owners.

“Forget the politicians, they are there to think you have a choice.
You don’t. You have owners. They OWN YOU. It’s a Big Club folks and we
Ain’t in it.”

Michael Cavlan RN
Minneapolis


John
Comment posted November 11, 2010 @ 10:04 am

Michael

When I first heard you were running for Ellison’s seat I was mildly interested. After coming across you here on MnIndy I have a different view. You seem very condescending. If you ever want to even be considered as a credible canidate you will need to loose this better than all ya’ll attitude you seem to have. I don’t know if this is just a hangover from your election results or if this is how you truly are but it is very off putting. It seems you are trying to do good but that meesage is barely getting through.


Zera Lee
Comment posted November 11, 2010 @ 1:04 pm

@John
I had a similar reaction to Steve Carlson. If he hadn’t brought his campaigning to MnIndy, I would not have known what a nasty piece of work he is. It was a pleasure to vote against him.

Michael, on the other hand, is merely condescending, snide, and angry (so far – it took Carlson awhile to show his true colors).

Since Michael is so interested in voter intimidation in Ohio, perhaps he could comment on the McDonalds manager who threatened the employees to vote republican or else.

Or maybe the republican operative that robocalled democrats trying to convince them they had already won and did not need to vote.


Michael Cavlan RN
Comment posted November 12, 2010 @ 1:43 pm

This is not a “better than you attitude.”

I am pointing out that while Republicanns have become the right wing fruit loop, crazy brigade that Democrats are simply good old fashioned cowards.

As for Voter Intimidation in Ohio, well I was there. I witnessed it. I even wrote an Indy Media Story from Sandusky County in Ohio. If MN Independent or in fact any journalist is interested in reading it, they can contact me at any time.

In fact, lets talk about the pricinct outside of of Toledo. Where of the 800 people who voted, 3,500 voted for George Bush. Counted on Diebold, Triad and ES&S machines. Yup, you read that right. 3,500 voters of the available 800 voted for Bush. That was one that was caught. Never mind the blatant Voter Suppression and Fraud that went onn all over Ohio and elsewhere.

You know who decided to blow it off?

The Democrats. Including then Senator Mark Dayton.

Read John Conyers book “What Went Wrong In Ohio” or better yet watch the documentary American Blackout starring Cynthia McKinney.

I am not “angry”, I am frigging outraged. As the bumper sticker says

If You Are Not Outraged- You Are Not Paying Attention.


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