Judge grants Franken ballot access request

A Minnesota judge has granted a request by Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken for the release of information on voters whose absentee ballots were rejected.

Ramsey County Judge Dale Lindman directed the county to produce the data by the close of business Wednesday. It complied.

Franken wanted the rosters of disqualified absentee voters in all 87 counties to determine if they were properly rejected in the counting of ballots for his close race with incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman.

Lindman's ruling applies only to Ramsey County, the state's second-largest county and the home of the state capital, but it represents a partial victory for Franken.

A key board hasn't decided whether to allow wrongly rejected absentee ballots into the statewide recount.