2008 General Election Results
2008 State Recounts
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.
U.S. Senate Recount and Contest
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.
Summary of vote counts
| 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 |
Key Source Documents
- State Recount Plan
- Allocated Ballot Report
- Canvassing Report
- Opinion of the Minnesota Supreme Court in Coleman et al. v. Ritchie et al. (A08-2169)
- Summary Statement of absentee ballots counted 4/7/09 pursuant to court order
- Opinion of the Minnesota Supreme Court in Sheehan v. Franken (A09-697)
- Signed Certificate of Election
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