DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: Election reform: Minnesota needs more

Was it Minnesota's shame, last year's race for U.S. Senate, with all its name-calling, accusations and nasty TV ads? The race actually turned uglier after Election Day when an impossibly narrow margin of victory was reversed amid verbal assaults launched from the camps of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger, and eventual winner, Al Franken.

Voter fraud, they yelled. Ballots uncounted. Votes improperly rejected. Minnesotans disenfranchised.

It all played out on a national stage.

But the ugliness, as we first argued more than

10 months ago, actually was Minnesota's opportunity.

That's because, without controversy, "You never look into [election-related issues] with any care," as Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said in an interview with the News Tribune editorial board in January. "The recount gave us information and political momentum to fix things. ... There was a learning process we never would have had without the recount."

Because of Franken-Coleman, Ritchie traveled the state, hosting at least 35 meetings with voters, election judges, county auditors and others. They chatted about what went well and, more critically, debated what needed to be repaired.

Read the complete editorial.