To clear up some semantic confusion, the Minnesota Senate election count has been “certified” by the State Canvassing Board with Al Franken (D.) 225 votes ahead of Norm Coleman (R.). Yet Franken’s victory has not been “certified.”   After seven days, or at the end of an unsuccessful Coleman legal challenge, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie must sign off and provide Franken with a certificate of election. Then he will be “certified” the winner and presumably sworn in without further ado.

Roland Burris, on the other hand, lacks certification of his appointment only because Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White refuses to sign it. Franken and Burris are in a similar boat, but for very different reasons.