MPR analysis: Many ballot challenges are frivolous

Head-scratcher
State law says a vote can be counted, even if the voter didn't make a mark in the oval, as long as the mark is "so near a name or space as to indicate clearly the voter's intent." But is this mark in between Coleman's bubble and Franken's close enough to either one?
Courtesy of Secretary of State

The number of challenged ballots in Minnesota's contentious Senate recount is approaching 6,000. Even as the recount continues, the Secretary of State's office has begun releasing copies of some of those challenged ballots.

Minnesota Public Radio News reporters have examined copies of the 1,003 disputed ballots released so far, and found that most of the challenges were frivolous.

MPR's Perry Finelli spoke with reporter Curtis Gilbert, who spent hours scrutinizing those ballots.