SECRETARY OF STATE:
An Inventory of Its 2008 United States Senate Election Recount Records at the Minnesota Historical Society
Government Records
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Minnesota. Secretary of State. | |
| Title: | 2008 United States Senate Election Recount Records. | |
| Dates: | 2007-2010. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Includes State Supreme Court documents, State Canvassing Board files, Minnesota Majority lawsuit files, correspondence, ballots, and press coverage files. | |
| Quantity: | 1.4 cubic feet (1 box and 1 partial box). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
HISTORICAL NOTE
Records maintained by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who held the position from 2007-2015, and his office regarding the recount of votes for United States Senator in 2008, in which the two main candidates were Al Franken (Democrat) and Norm Coleman (Republican). The election was held on November 4th, 2008. The first count of ballots was completed on November 18th. After a recount, on January 5th, 2009, the State Canvassing Board certified updated vote totals, which showed Franken had won by 225 votes. Coleman's campaign contested the election on January 6 the following year, and a panel of judges ruled on April 13, 2009, that Franken had won. Coleman appealed this decision to the state Supreme Court, but his appeal was rejected, and Al Franken was officially sworn in on July 7, 2009.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota. Secretary of State. 2008 United States Senate Election Recount Records. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession numbers: 2016-49; 2022-23
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 008631982
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| 117.C.3.10F | State Supreme Court Documents, 2008. | ||||||||||
| Includes Minnesota Supreme Court filings by Norm Coleman and his attorneys against Secretary Ritchie, the State Canvassing Board, various county canvassing boards, and Al Franken and his campaign. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Majority Lawsuit Files, 2007-2010. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes correspondence, data practices requests, news clippings, and other related records regarding the lawsuit that the organization Minnesota Majority filed against the Secretary of State's office in November 2008, over the wearing of buttons at polls that said, "Please I.D. Me." | |||||||||||
| State Canvassing Board Files: | |||||||||||
| Memos and Reports, 2008. | |||||||||||
| Meeting Minutes and Agendas: | |||||||||||
| September 21, 2008. | |||||||||||
| November-December 2008. | |||||||||||
| Mark Ritchie Correspondence: | |||||||||||
| Primarily printed emails; also includes printed Facebook messages Ritchie received from constituents regarding the Senate recount. | |||||||||||
| In approximate chronological order by month. | |||||||||||
| September and October 2008, May 2009. | |||||||||||
| November 2008. | |||||||||||
| December 2008. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Ballots: | |||||||||||
| NASS [National Association of Secretaries of State] Survey - Canvassing of State Election Results, February 2009. | |||||||||||
| Precinct Challenged Ballot Spreadsheet, circa December 2008. | |||||||||||
| Lists alphabetically by county and thereunder by precinct the number of challenged ballots, who challenged them, whether and when they were withdrawn, and the final disposition. | |||||||||||
| Absentee Ballots Rejected in Error, December 2008. | |||||||||||
| Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1, December 2008. | |||||||||||
| Challenged Ballots, circa November 2008. | |||||||||||
| Photocopies of challenged ballots. | |||||||||||
| November 2008 Sample Ballot, 2008. | |||||||||||
| Secretary of State Recount Guide, circa December 2008. | |||||||||||
| Secretary of State Recount Data, circa November-December 2008. | |||||||||||
| Press Coverage: | |||||||||||
| Primarily news stories and blog posts printed from the Internet regarding the U.S. Senate recount. | |||||||||||
| In approximate chronological order by month. | |||||||||||
| May-September 2008. | |||||||||||
| November 2008. | |||||||||||
| December 2008. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| January-May 2009. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| 115.F.16.13B | Court filings, 2008-2009. 9 folders. | ||||||||||
| Primarily include copies of Norm Coleman v Al Franken filings in the Ramsey County District Court and the Minnesota Supreme Court. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Elections -- Minnesota -- Statistics.
- Elections -- Minnesota.
- Persons:
- Coleman, Norm.
- Franken, Al.
- Ritchie, Mark.
- Organizations:
- Minnesota. Supreme Court.
- Minnesota. State Canvassing Board.
- United States. Congress. Senate -- Election -- 2008.
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