The U.S. Senate race, State Senate District 16 race, and two State Representative races (State Representative Districts 12B and 16A) were subject to state-funded recounts in 2008. Find more information below.
The extremely close vote totals in the U.S. Senate race resulted in a statewide hand recount. The recount and subsequent court contest delayed the issuing of a certificate of election until the summer of 2009. A narrative of Minnesota's 2008 election was published in the 2009-2010 Legislative Manual. A table summarizing vote counts at different points is below, as well as links to important documents.
| Date | Description | Votes for Coleman | Votes for Franken |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/18/08 | Initial State Canvassing Board meeting | 1,211,590 | 1,211,375 |
| 12/5/08 | After hand recount, not including challenged ballots | 1,209,240 | 1,209,228 |
| 12/20/08 | After review of challenged ballots by State Canvassing Board | 1,211,901 | 1,211,950 |
| 1/5/09 | After counting of improperly rejected absentee ballots by order of Minnesota Supreme Court. This total was certified by State Canvassing Board. | 1,212,206 | 1,212,431 |
| 4/13/09 | After counting of improperly rejected absentee ballots by order of three-judge panel during the election contest. NOTE: these totals were not canvassed by State Canvassing Board, and are not incorporated into the Complete 2008 General Election Results | 1,212,317 | 1,212,629 |
Legislative Recounts
Recounts were conducted in State Senate District 16 special election, and State Representative Districts 12B and 16A following the 2008 General Election. View the results in Official Documents