This editorial appeared in The Miami Herald.
At a recent hearing over the Senate vote recount in his state, Justice Paul Anderson of the Minnesota Supreme Court apparently took umbrage when an attorney suggested that the prolonged dispute was turning into a debacle along the lines of the Florida presidential vote in 2000. "This is not Florida," harrumphed the judge by way of reply. "This is Minnesota." No kidding?
Let there be no mistaking one for the other. It would be like comparing frozen tundra with a sandy beach, a gopher with a flamingo, the Northern Lights with the delights of South Beach. We could go on, but why rub it in? Well, maybe just one more: On Tuesday, the noon temperature in these climes was a balmy 74 degrees, compared to six below zero in Minneapolis. Ouch! No wonder the judge gave the attorney such an icy reply.
But seriously, Your Honor – not like Florida when it comes to ballot meltdowns? Maybe we're more alike than you'd like to think.
• We had "hanging chads"; you have "Irabs," the term for "improperly rejected absentee ballots," 1,500 of which remain at the heart of the recount dispute. We say chads; you say Irabs. Either way, they're contested votes.
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