The Star-Tribune reports that "The State Canvassing Board, a panel of five arbiters charged with determining the winner in the overtime election tussle between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, unanimously voted this morning to deny the Franken campaign's request that rejected absentee ballots be included in the recount."

However, this is likely to end up in Court, which many members of the board encouraged.

If you are following the Minnesota Senate race recount, be sure to read John Fund's article in today's Wall Street Journal. As he writes, "If the strategy of adding previously rejected ballots to the Minnesota Senate recount is successful, a final outcome could be months away. In 1975, the U.S. Senate refused to accept New Hampshire's certification that Republican Louis Wyman had won by two votes. The seat was vacant for seven months, with the Senate debate spanning 100 hours and six unsuccessful attempts to break a filibuster and vote on who should be seated. The impasse ended only when a special election was agreed to, which was won by Democrat John Durkin.

"Given how critical Minnesota's election is for the outcome of filibusters, don't be surprised if this recount becomes 'Washington mean' when the Senate convenes in January."