Politics / Election 2008 Franken Sues for Records of Rejected Voters Coleman leads Minn. race by 206 votes, calls suit 'shameless' By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff Posted Nov 14, 2008 7:26 AM CST Copied Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., claims victory in his reelection bid as his wife Laurie, left, looks on during a news conference Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) Senate hopeful Al Franken is suing Minnesota counties to get the names and addresses of locals whose absentee ballots were rejected, the Star Tribune reports. Franken’s team is sweeping the state for such information in an effort to cut GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s current 206-vote lead. A full state recount begins next week in the race, which could tip the balance of power in the Senate. Two counties refused to comply with Franken’s request, spurring the lawsuit. Coleman’s campaign said Franken was “shamelessly trying to strong-arm local officials into counting invalid ballots.” A state official, meanwhile, said the law is clear: the rejected ballots won't be included in the hand recount. (More Election 2008 stories.) Report an error