ST. PAUL, Minn., March 31 (UPI) -- A three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that 400 absentee ballots in Minnesota's contested U.S. Senate race should be examined to see if they are valid.
The number of ballots to be reviewed is far fewer than the 4,800 Republican candidate Norm Coleman, a lawyer who held the seat the past six years, had initially sought to have counted as he tries to overcome a 225-vote lead by Democrat Al Franken in the recount contest that has dragged on since the Nov. 4 election. Franken, a comedic writer, also had sought the inclusion of more absentee ballots.
"To be clear, not every absentee ballot identified in this order will ultimately be opened and counted," the judges wrote.
The judges said any ballots deemed valid will be opened and sorted on April 7, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
The Star Tribune said neither candidate's camp were immediately available for comment.
The Minneapolis newspaper noted about half of the ballots included in the judges' ruling come from Hennepin, Ramsey and St. Louis counties, where Franken won by significant margins.
In rejecting the bulk of the ballots Coleman wanted included, the judges disregarded his attorneys' arguments that it apply a more lenient standard in deciding those to be counted, the Tribune said.
