Breaking News: Election 2010 - State

Well it looks like we WILL be having a recount in our state ... especially after the 60,000+ votes that didn't exist for the "winner" which one of our local news agencies caught and mentioned, and then the biggest county (population wise) admitted was done by "computer error' ....

Any ways .... here's the Secetary of States press conference:

Mark Ritchie: Thank you to all the local election officials throughout the state and my office who stayed until 4 or 5 in the morning, to complete the work that could be done yesterday - also to the candidates and their staff who really exciting election year - and also to the voters.
We still have about 100 precints to be reported but it looks like we will break 2.1 million voters when all is said and done but we won't know until the last 100 precincts are in.
Recounts can be requested by any candidate, but they are paid for by the tax payers under circumstances perscribe in MN law and a lot of you [reporters] are veterans of this - so that is the topic that many of you wanted to discuss this morning and the taxpayers have the possibility of paying for a number of recounts depending on how the results of the county canvassing boards work out over the next three weeks.
You remember somewhat the drill from last time [he is speaking of Franken-Coleman] results are always 'unofficial' - over the next week, starting this Friday, the county canvassing boards will meet, they will audit all the results of each and every race, and they will then prepare their reports to the state canvassing board, which will meet on the 23rd 10 o'clock, probably downstairs, but we'll see.
At that time they will report both their county canvassing board results and also any results from their machine audits, or the reviews that MN uses to double check our machines.
If any of those races which extend beyond the county borders, are within one-half of one percent, that triggers then tax-payer paid recount.  Candidates can through a procedure waive that opportunity, that tax-payer paid recount, but that would be determined after all of the auditting was completed, the canvassing was completed over the next couple of weeks.
There are three house races that do extend beyond county lines, and of course the governor's race which also extends beyond county lines.  There may be other races with in the county - county by races or house races with in the county - that would be up to the county canvassing board as well.
The process if recounts are triggered and if they move ahead, will look very much like it did before - for those of you who participated in same canvassing board process for the Supreme court race and the senate race last time - local election officials will be our partners again, there will be about 100 sites around the state the week following the week canvassing board meeting so that would be Thanksgiving week.
We would begin - most of the procedures are simular, there've been a few changes.  For example, we have a three week time period before the state canvassing board to give us more time, a lot of clarification on things that would be considered frivolous challenges in the last recount have been clarified and will not be allowed, that sort of thing.
But you will see very much a simular process and those procedures will be over seen by the state canvassing board and at that meeting - the meeting we will hold on the 23rd - we will appoint a state recount director, possibly, quite likely that will be Gary Posser the Pavorati of recounts, and he is going for the Caruso of recounts this time - and that state canvassing board was named prior to this election: Justice Paul H andersen, Justice David Strauss, Judge Greg Johnson, and Judge Janice Reilly - who some of you might remember from the prior contest in the US senate races.
With in my office, Gary Posser we assume, will be appointed, he'll have the responsibility for this work - my staff, Jim Geldman, will be responsible for all the business services division including the successful and smooth launch of our business services new online platform and he was a long time employee and associate of one of the two candidates so he will be completely recused from the process.
We in our office are planning to have fun with this recount this time around and we want to make sure you have as much fun as you can in this process as well.
We don't know if there are going to be any recounts because we don't have final results or canvas results but it looks like there might be some - small or large - and we will know that on the 23rd of this month.
So thank you again for your great coverage of this campaign and on this election.  I'll take any questions and I know a bunch of you have to run.

Q1: Who will be Governor in January if there is a recount going on?

MR: The MN constitution, which we provided all of you with a copy, stipulates that the Governor remains Governor until the swearing in of the appropriate next governor. so at this point that would be governor Pawlenty.

Q2: Does the constitution require that he continue with all the duties as governor, that is prepare a budget and get everything ready?

MR: It does not stipulate in any kind of way limits or in any prescriptive way, the constitution just states who would remain governor.

Q3: Did you see the people 'parking' at the ballot sites like they did in 2008?

MR: No no baby sitters ...
q3: no baby sips?
MR: no but we did order extra pizza in case like we did last time, but no baby sitters.  i think people learned a tremendous amount in the last recount and I think folks know that we - what we call a Great Election yesterday - the three C's ... it was a Clear day, ....
[interrupted by news team]
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First --
they are going to have FUN?? what the heck?
I don't want them having 'fun' - I want them to do their damn work!

Second --
could you think he could mention that it was tax payer funded anymore???
I think this is a ploy by the Dems to try to show that Repubs say they are for saving tax payer money but they are willing to have recounts.

Thirdly --
so we are having the same idiots doing the recount this time who did it for Franken last time?  The same ones who allowed votes which were OBVIOUSLY for Coleman be counted for Franken?  The same ones who allowed the 17000 non-resident votes stand??

Oh great.

Lastly --
why is the Secetary of State picking out and announcing who the head of the State canvassing board will be?  Especially so far ahead?
Why not simply leave it at -- when they meet they will pick someone ...
it makes it look like they already have all the cards stacked.

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okay ... I have to say something .... Mr. Ritchie is supposed to be used to his job - he was re-elected - he has been through all this before ... so why did he seem so dang nervous???
For someone who came in with written notes/script he sure did 'um' and correct himself an awful lot (I took them all out to make it an easier read) -- and he seemed to be really out of sorts - like they sprang this all on him.

some of his sentences, as you can read, were almost incoherant -- he must have been up all night but even so, he looked almost ill.

So while the rest of you get to deal with your states mistakes right away -- we have to sit thru another 4 months of monkey business.