TW: Floyd Norris suggests a re-vote for the MN Senate seat. I agree. There is no valid way to arbitrate a vote that appears literally to have come down to a few dozen votes amidst several million, a statistically invalid difference by any measure. At that point the "winner" is merely the one who wins the political/legal battles associated with defining which votes are counted. Regardless of who "wins" the re-count a re-vote should be held. It would probably favor the Republican since the Obama coattails would have been shorn but to me it is the best solution. It certainly would be a doozy of a re-race (and stimulative for the MN economy!!).
From Norris via NYT:
"On the Op-Ed page today, Charles Seife says that there are enough missing ballots and other problems in Minnesota that we will never be sure who got the most votes. He calls for invoking a Minnesota law that allows for the flipping of a coin to decide a tied election.
The idea of a senator’s being chosen by a coin flip is unsatisfying, and there is a contrary precedent that could be applied if the Senate wishes.
In 1974, John Durkin, a Democrat, and Louis Wyman, a Republican, basically tied in the New Hampshire Senate race. As I recall, there were recounts with different outcomes, and the Senate finally threw up its hands and a new election was agreed to. For the better part of a year, New Hampshire had one senator, until Mr. Durkin won the runoff. He served until he was defeated for re-election in 1980.
(Full disclosure: In 1977, I briefly worked as Senator Durkin’s press secretary. The shortness of my tenure reflects the quality of my work in that role.)"
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