As Al Franken’s lead expands past 250 as of this writing, watch as Norm Coleman supporters begin downplaying the importance of the unofficial margin that they have been trumpeting for a month and a half now. Not an observation, but a prediction. You don’t need to source predictions.

I will source, however, the evidence against Ann Coulter’s claims made in her articles about the Minnesota Recount (12/15, 12/17). Specifically, she’s dubiously cited the following instances as evidence of vote fraud, when indeed it’s just shit that happens after elections: 100 mystery ballots in Mt. Iron, 133 missing Dinkytown ballots, 100 typo’d ballots, and 32 absentee ballots left in a car. None of these instances were vote fraud, and anyone who tells you that they are is lying or has something to sell.

Indeed, Coulter and her ilk are trying to sell you on the idea that any post-election fluctuations are unlikely, that recounts are dangerous because it only gives the Democrats a second chance to steal the election, and that Secretary of State Mark Richie has been bought and paid for by George Soros. But worst of all, she wishes you to believe that Minnesota’s electoral process is as corrupt as Illinois and as broken as Florida. For her to say any of this with a straight face, she’d have to be completely ignorant of the multipartisan State Canvassing Board that has been running the recount, of the armies of observers who watched every single vote get recounted, and of the fact that Minnesota has gone so far as to scan and publish online every single challenged ballot.

And you know what? She probably is.

Lizard People!

Oh hey, the Lizard People. Of course! However, you don’t have to write them in, as they allegedly are already on the ballot. [via]

Are you into the election equivalent of watching paint dry? The Senate recount is finally upon us and while everyone will be covering it, your best bet for the quickest non-stop coverage will be the local independent media that are all over it.

The UpTake will have live video and live-blogging of the recounting process on their front page, and you can follow along on Twitter by watching the hashtag “#mnrecount” or individual accounts: @theuptake, @chuckumentary. Of course, you can always show up in person to watch the recount, which is open to the media and the public. (If you really like The UpTake, you can hang out at their Fall Fundraiser on Friday! Disclosure: I ran around with them during the RNC.)

Not because it’s played out, but because it’s actually a law (which Erica discovered earlier last month):

City statute restricts campaign signs in Minneapolis throughout the year. However, state law allows greater leeway for these signs during election periods and up to ten days after Election Day.

Nov. 14 marks the ten-day limit.

This requirement only applies to messages directly tied to the election.

Participating in your civic duty and earning a priceless “I Voted” sticker not giving you enough satisfaction? Lots of national and local businesses are looking to cash in on electoral fever….

FREEbies

• Ben & Jerry’s free scoop of ice cream between 5:00pm and 8:00pm.
• Starbucks Coffee offers a free large coffee if you’re willing to wait in line.
• Free pint of Schell’s beer at The Nomad World Pub.
• Free drink at the 508 Bar & Restaurant.
• Free donut at Krispy Kreme…oh wait.

Local Incentives

• 2-4-1 pints from noon to close (2:00am) at The Herkimer.
• $10 off any entree at The Melting Pot.
• Triple order of Topperstix or a large 1-topping pizza for $3.99 at Toppers Pizza

I snagged most of the list above via Alexis, who did her homework and also suggests you check out the vita.mn thread for info on election day parties and other specials.

From a quick Google search, it seems MSP is falling behind in the “I Voted” freebie department.

In Dallas, a local tattoo parlor is offering “Free Tattoo Removal with Proof of Vote.” Lots of local restaurants in major cities are offering free burgers or a glass of champagne, car washes are giving away red, white and blue (soap) specials, and in New York, handbag and clothing boutique Hayden-Harnett is giving voters 20 percent off and free wine at the door.

Maybe the best yet — an adult bookstore in Seattle is rewarding voters with a sex toy called The Maverick.

Forget your “I Voted” sticker and still want to cash in on the freebies? Go for it anyway.

According to federal and state laws, offering incentives or remuneration to reward people for voting or not voting is illegal. Since these laws were created to prevent any form of bribery through free food, alcohol or money, retailers will have to go by the honor system or face a visit from Mark Ritchie.

• The Daily Planet has the scoop on what Minneapolitans need to know about education issues. School board candidates, a referendum on changing how school board members are elected (Councilmember Cam Gordon says vote yes), and a referendum on a property tax increase for school funding. I promise, you can stop all the cramming on candidates and issues in four days. Hang in there.
• CM Gordon also had the deets on reorganization in the city government that will better engage residents on the neighborhood level. “Last month, the Council voted to establish a new Department of Neighborhood and Community Relations and a new Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission. These lay the foundation for what will likely be a similar, but significantly different, neighborhood revitalization program and a potentially much more effective City community engagement system in the future.” Sounds like the exact future of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program is still unclear.
• Amy Rea recently visited the James J. Hill House for a social studies assignment. I don’t know what her kid’s homework looked like, but Amy’s looks pretty good.
• Buy the Change (building community through commerce) wants you to truly put your money where your mouth is. They have the following goals: “To help people connect with their neighbors and people who share their values while supporting the organizations and businesses they care about.” AND “To raise awareness of the power of individual purchasing decisions and to provide tools that harness this power as a force for social change.” This video explains how it works. This better video explains how it works. They have larger goals, geographically speaking, but right now they’re heavily focused on Twin Cities neighborhoods. [Buy the Change blog] (via @MNWINwebmaster)
• Ban the Ban Minnesota is “a nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to helping the people and independent small businesses in the state by providing advocacy, education and data, and information dissemination regarding smoking bans so that the real heart of the matter can be addressed; namely the issues of rights, essential liberty, and our ability to live our lives and run our businesses as we so choose. We demand that we be treated like the responsible adults that we are and be free of busybodies who think that we need to be forcibly protected from ourselves.” Those crazy Libertarians! [facebook group]
• This MnIndy item is ancient news now, but I still think it’s hilarious. “This [I Will Vote] sticker was observed Oct. 21 stuck to the parking lot surface at the K-Mart in Minneapolis — clear evidence that ACORN has been illegally registering inner-city blacktop to vote.” Why’s it gotta be blacktop?
• Leif reports that the downtown Target is now has groceries and a deli, meaning they have beaten the Lunds and Whole Foods projects to the punch (somewhat) and have probably made a whole lot of downtown residents pretty happy.
• Are you planning to take Election Day off? You work that out with your employer (they’re required by law to at least let you out to go vote). If you feel a need to declare more formally your intention to sit on the couch with CNN all day, RSVP on facebook to TAKE ELECTION DAY OFF, hosted by The Campaign for Change (Ellison, Obama, and Franken). And should you get hungry or thirsty at some point in the day, The Herkimer will be having 2 for 1s all day and all night and will also have election-type stuff up on the big screens.
• Minneapolis has a fire fighter museum? (via @g_rote)
• Growing Communities of Science is a blog chronicling one local teacher’s use of computers in his science classroom. (via Conner McCall)