Minnesota recount begins

City and county workers start recounting over 2.9 million ballots

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updated 5:30 p.m. ET Nov. 19, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. - City and county workers across Minnesota have started recounting more than 2.9 million ballots from the state's U.S. Senate race.

Entering the recount, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman carried a lead of just 215 votes over Democrat Al Franken.

The deadline for finishing the recount is Dec. 5.

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The county elections manager in Ramsey County told workers they'd have 30,000 ballots to count each day, or one every five seconds for each counter. He said they'll be looking for ballots on which "the voter intent is not absolutely clear." And he said there should be "very, very few" ballots like that.

With the Minnesota race and one in Georgia still to be decided, Democrats have control of 58 seats in the Senate. With two more, they'd be able to overcome Republican filibusters.