Dear
As you already know, our campaign came up 19 votes short on Tuesday, August 14 in the DFL primary election. Our campaign was always driven by and for the residents of District 59B. We were not the campaign of the Establishment, nor the big money campaign. We were the 'little engine that could' that met voters one door at a time, stayed positive and promised a representative that would put the residents of the district first. We committed to a high level of constituent service by helping ALL of our residents realize that their vote IS their voice. Despite being outspent, not having friends in high places or having organizations that were willing to do significant independent expenditures, we still came within 19 votes (.08) of finishing first.
Our campaign did very good work. I was joined by 60 volunteers in door knocking every block that we had access to and phoning into the downtown neighborhoods. We were helped by our friends at womenwinning and our individual endorsers, Sharon Sayles Belton, Joan Growe, Willie Dominguez, City Council Member Diane Hofstede and State Reps, Rena Moran, Marion Greene and Phyliss Kahn. They wrote letters, made phone calls, sent emails and door knocked all the while praising my leadership skills. Their message was simple, they knew what it took to get the job done in the MN Legislature and I am best suited to be a leader for all of the communities in 59B at the legislature. I am grateful for their support, their energy and their kind words.
Because of this support and the energy of our campaign, we carried a majority of the precincts (8 of 12, with one tie) primary night. Our Get Out The Vote operation was intense, high energy and perhaps most importantly, fun, respectful and inviting to the voters. I have received many compliments for the positive tone and level of excellence that our campaign maintained. As a leader and a future elected official, it is my job to level the playing field and to do all that I can to ensure that the voice of this community is heard loud and clear.
From the very beginning, this campaign has been about returning this house seat to the people in this district. For this is the people's seat. This race was so tight, many voters, have requested a recount to ensure that their votes were indeed counted. So today, Hennepin County Elections Division notified all DFL candidates for House Seat 59B that my campaign has requested a discretionary recount of all ballots cast in the August 14th DFL Primary Election held pursuant to M.S. 204C.35 and M.R. 8235.
According to the 2012 MN Recount Guide, published by the Minnesota Secretary of State, A recount will not determine voter eligibility at the time of the election, the violation of campaign laws by any candidate or their endorsers, if absentee ballots were properly accepted or allow for the inspection of spoiled ballots. A recount is simply a physically recount of the ballots that were cast on the day of the election.
However, the matters outlined above can be addressed in an official Contest to the Election which is equivalent to a civil trial. A formal request for an elections contest can be filed by any person who was eligible to vote in the district on the date the election took place. This request must be filed with Hennepin County no later than 4:30pm Wednesday August 22.
The recount will start at 10 am on Thursday, August 23,2012
Minneapolis Elections Warehouse
732A Harding Street NE
Minneapolis MN 55413
This is event is open to the public.
I am very pleased with the work that my campaign has done thus far but it is not over yet. We will await the results of the recount and regardless of the outcome, I know that I did all that I could do in order to serve the people and the district that I love so much. We will come together as a district and we will work together working for a common goal which is to take back the Minnesota Legislature but we have just a little bit more work to do to ensure that that happens. I thank you for all of your support and your words of wisdom and I look forward to serving this great district into the years to come. "We are district 59B, and together, we can bridge gaps, build opportunities and make a stand for a brighter future."
My best,
Terra Cole
Candidate for State Representative, HD 59B
