The state’s Canvassing Board officially met today to launch a recount in the gubernatorial election. The hand counting of the 2.1 million ballots cast is set to begin on Monday.

Brian Bakst of the Associated Press profiled the Canvassing Board’s five members. They include current Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, two judges and two Supreme Court members. Judge Denise Reilly might seem familiar, because she was one of the three judges to sit through the seven-week trial when Sen. Norm Coleman sued over his 2008 recount loss.

Elections officials in some of Minnesota’s largest counties joined Mark Dayton in battling a GOP election lawsuit. Local officials accuse Emmer of “suspect goals” and “drastic measures.” Dayton Recount Director Ken Martin accused Emmer and the Republican Party of “acting like a 4-year-old who just lost playing Candyland–they want to change the rules when they find out they lost.”

The State Supreme Court heard Tom Emmer’s petition yesterday to do reconciliation before the recount begins. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today, and denied Emmer’s petition 90 minutes after oral arguments.

The Emmer campaign requested an outrageously large amount of information from some counties last week. After filing a suit complaining counties weren’t complying in a timely manner, the Emmer campaign came to an agreement with the counties.

Now, however, they are disagreeing once again, this time over the price of putting those documents together. Emmer’s lawyers are claiming they shouldn’t have to pay the full cost of the labor and copies, since it is their belief multiple parties have requested the same information. Joe Bodell points out that this response comes from the side that has been slashing local government aid for the last decade. 

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