AlchemyToday

I’m late to this, but apparently it’s becoming vogue to say that a revote is a likely, not to mention fair, next step in the Minnesota Senate election.  Perhaps this has something to do with Coleman pulling for a new election.  Here’s a reporter at the Post (h/t Balloon Juice):

Baltimore, Md.: Speaking of junior senators, do you see Al Franken being seated anytime before 2010?

Shailagh Murray: Perhaps, but it seems more and more likely that the Minnesota race will wind up as a re-vote. At this point it seems like the quickest way to resolve the situation.

In a later chat, Shailagh’s buddy Paul Kane gets it right before he gets it wrong:

Paul Kane: COIN TOSS!!!!!

 

That’s how you settle a tie. I personally love that option. Anyone here see “Friday Night Lights” the movie? I loved how Odessa-Permian got into the state playoffs by winning a 3-way coin toss.

 

Maybe they do the same in Minnesota? I’m mostly kidding. 

Don’t play, Paul!  The thing is, a coin toss is absolutely the fairest way to decide an election that’s within the margin of error.  If a time machine took you back to November 5th and you stepped on a butterfly in Minnesota before the polls opened, the outcome would be 50/50.  This was the expressed intent of the voters.  A revote is inevitably advantageous to one candidate or the other, and the issues at hand have evolved in the intervening months.  A coin-flip would give each candidate the same 50/50 shot at coming out ahead that they had on election day.  Conveniently, a recount is essentially a coin flip in this instance (assuming that it’s done objectively; I haven’t seen any legitimate complaints about the MN judiciary here), and I suppose it has the advantage that it feels fair in your gut even if it’s at best equally as fair as a coin flip.

A few alternatives that are unquestionably more fair than a revote:

1. Halfsies – Coleman and Franken have joint custody of the Senate office; every other weekend; that sort of thing.
2. Who’s pig latin is better?  I don’t think this was at issue in the election so it’s probably a toss-up.
3. Chug-off.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 12:53 am and is filed under Uncategorized.