Franken Ballot Challenge: ‘He Was Underlining Al’

Recount observers for Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Democrat Al Franken are doing their darndest to win more votes for their candidates.

One contested ballot, posted by Minnesota Public Radio, features bubbles filled in for both Coleman and Franken, but with a line drawn through Franken’s name. A Franken volunteer, however, said that the line showed the voter backed the Democrat. “He was underlining Al,” said Jeff Lange. See the ballot here:

In a ballot challenged by Coleman’s team, a voter filled in the bubble next to Franken’s name. But the Coleman observer said that unusual marks near the bubble were actually an arrow pointing to Coleman’s bubble. See it here:

After Wednesday, the recount’s first day, Franken’s deficit to Coleman shrank from 215 votes to 174. More than four-fifths of the votes still need to be recounted.