(CNSNews.com) – Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the recount results of the Minnesota Senate race that declared Democrat Al Franken the winner.
 
Coleman claims that in the recount, some votes were counted twice and that more votes were counted in a single precinct than votes cast on Election Day. Also, Coleman alleges that thousands of absentee ballots “were wrongly rejected and still not included in the recount.”
 
At a news conference in St. Paul, Coleman announced, “We are filing this contest to be absolutely sure that every valid vote was counted and no one’s vote was counted more than anyone else’s. The only way to do that is to guarantee that clear standards were applied fairly and uniformly throughout every single precinct of this state.”
 
His lawsuit claims that the Canvassing Board that conducted the recount made mistakes when determining voter intent on ballots that were in question, ineligible voters cast ballots and some absentee ballots were opened early, thus raising concerns about the chain of custody.
 
“While I understand there is a desire by a small number of people to simply move on, something greater than expediency is at stake here,” Coleman said.
 
 Until the legal challenge is settled, Franken cannot take the Senate seat.
 
“Democracy is not a machine. It’s run by people working to obey the law as best they can. Sometimes it’s messy and inconvenient, and reaching the best conclusion is never quick because speed is not the first objective: fairness is,” Coleman said.
 
“I’ve directed my team to move as quickly as possible to resolve these issues. But we will not permit the full process to be shortcut. That would only cast greater doubt and uncertainty over the final result,” he added.
 
“A six year term is a long, long time. Crucial decisions will be made during that period on the economy, national security and the rights of all Americans. Minnesotans deserve 100% confidence that their Senator was fairly elected by all the people,” Coleman said.