(From the diaries -- huge news from Minnesota -- kos)
A very significant new development in the Coleman election contest, and winerev's daily diary has already slipped into oblivion.
Whatever fantasy Norm had of making hay from the roughly 1500 rejected absentee ballots in pile 3a (rejected for no registration) is up in smoke. The Sec. of State has announced that only 88 of these inner envelopes contained the necessary valid registration card. Of these 88, 60 are from counties carried by Coleman, and 28 from counties carried by Franken. But you don't have to be a math major to realize that when the election as a whole has 15% for the independent guy, and the remainder splits reasonably between Norm and Al, a mere 88 new ballots are gonna split pretty close and at the most net a mere handful (that's less than ten) for Franken or Coleman.
Most of Normie's "universe of potential ballots" that initially numbered some 11,000 has suffered from a swim in the chilly ocean of reality, resulting in what George Costanza might call "shrinkage." This process can be followed by reading Franken's motion for dismissal of Coleman's contest, currently "under advisement" by the ECC. Coleman has provided almost no evidence; his case is largely being argued daily in the hall, where Bu-Shelection lackey Ginsberg attempts to win in the Court of Lazy Reporters. The estimate had been that perhaps 700 valid ballots might be found in this search of pile 3A absentee ballots.
I think the math now says that Norm's universe of contested ballots is now too small to overcome the lead of (Senator) Al Franken. At present, the lead is officially 225 but unofficially 246 or even 255 votes (the latter including the first batch of Charles Nauen's clients), and may go higher when the ECC rules on the petitions of a few more individuals (Charles Nauen's 19 additional clients). The only possibility for Coleman to reverse his shrinkage is the Viagra of the "uncounting" of some 946 ballots which were stipulated under "Rule 9" by both parties some time ago. Unfortunately for Norm, undoing stipulations is not a likely place for a court to go.
I would not be surprised if the ECC schedules a formal hearing on Franken's motion to dismiss.
Update by kos: Updated absentee ballot breakdowns.
Update II by kos: Apparently, it's 89 ballots.