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Neck to neck: Eternal search for holes in ballot!

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November 16, 2000 

UNDATED-- (UNB/AP) - Developments in the presidential election recount:

COURTS:

-Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris petitioned the state Supreme Court to declare whether local canvassing boards should stop any effort to hand count ballots "pending resolution as to whether any basis exists to modify the certified results" after the statutory deadline that passed at 5 p.m. (2200GMT). She also asked that various legal actions around the state be transferred to a court in Tallahassee.

-A Florida judge ruled that state officials could cut off the vote recount at 5 p.m. (2200GMT) Tuesday. Circuit Judge Terry Lewis said counties may file supplemental or corrected totals after the deadline, and Harris may reject them if she employs "proper exercise of discretion." Democratic officials, who have pushed for manual recounts in several counties, said they would appeal. Volusia County filed an immediate appeal Tuesday.

-The Florida Democratic Party filed an amended lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, asking a judge to order the canvassing board there to accept "dimpled chad" as an indication of a voter's intent. Dimpled chad is when the detachable paper square on a punchcard is dented, but not pushed out.

-Circuit Judge John Miller ruled that Tuesday's deadline did not apply to Broward County and its canvassing board can conduct a manual recount if it chooses. The board, which on Monday voted not to conduct a manual recount, rescinded that vote Tuesday and said it will take a wait-and-see approach. It will decide what to do after the state Supreme Court issues its election rulings.

-A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed in Orlando, which had sought to block counties from conducting manual recounts. Three Brevard County residents who voted for Texas Gov. George W. Bush sued election officials in four counties, saying it is unconstitutional for some counties to conduct a hand count and others not to.

-The Republicans filed notice that they may appeal a separate constitutional challenge to the hand recounts. The Repub.licans lost that request for an injunction in federal court in Miami on Monday. Bush supporters said the notice filed with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta was to keep their options open.

-The Democratic Party filed a motion in Circuit Court seeking a full recount of 588,000 ballots in Broward County. The party said the decision by the county canvassing board not to conduct such a recount was based on erroneous advice from Harris that a manual recount could only be conducted if the board found a problem with the computer that counted the ballots.

COUNTING:

-Harris, a Bush supporter, announced Tuesday night that the Texas governor had a 300-vote lead over Vice President Al Gore out of 6 million votes cast - with overseas absentee ballots and ongoing recount totals pending. Harris said she will require counties filing late recount numbers to explain in writing by 2 p.m. (1900GMT) Wednesday why new vote totals should be accepted. Gore campaign chairman William Daley complained the 2 p.m. deadline was an unfair requirement for election officials.

-Palm Beach County election officials decided Wednesday to delay hand counting the county's 430,000 ballots, pending a decision from the local court on the dimpled chad question. They will certify all their results so far, including a machine recount and numbers compiled from a hand count of four precincts.

Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga lifted an injunction issued last week that prevented the county canvassing board from certifying its results. Labarga also said the board could carry out a manual recount of the votes if it wants, but that it would be up to the secretary of state to decide whether to accept any supplemental results the board provides after the deadline for doing so. The county had delayed its hand count until officials could clarify whether it had the legal authority to proceed.

-Gore picked up six votes after officials in Miami-Dade County completed a hand recount of 5,871 ballots in three overwhelmingly Democratic precincts. The canvassing board then voted 2-1 not to hand count the rest of the county's ballots. Democrats wanted a countywide hand count.

-Broward County election authorities voted to add four more votes to Al Gore. These were votes that turned up during a hand count of three precincts on Monday.

-In Volusia County, Gore cut Bush's statewide lead by 98 votes after officials completed a hand count of some 184,000 ballots. Even though Volusia beat Harris' deadline, county officials still filed a motion with a state appellate court that would force her to accept figures submitted after the deadline.

-Democrats in Osceola County withdrew their request for a manual recount.

-The U.S. Postal Service was expediting delivery of military overseas ballots to assure they arrive in county election departments before Friday's deadline. "We understand the urgency of this situation and realize that the entire presidential election could rest on these ballots," spokeswoman Enola C. Rice said.

QUOTES:

-"When is it going to end? I ask you, when is it going to end?" - Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III in Tallahassee, representing George W. Bush.

- "I see a yearning in the country for the vote to be correctly counted, and I think we're going down that path. That's what I see the country most interested in." - Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher in Tallahassee, representing Al Gore.

- "I can't even walk around outside now. It's like the seventh day of being held hostage." - Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

- "If they go forward, these Democratic counties are no longer recounting, they are reinventing." - Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes.

- "If the secretary of state arbitrarily refuses to accept the amended returns based on the recount and violates what this court has ruled ... which is to accept those results unless she has good reason not to, then we will be back in court." - David Boies, a member of Gore's legal team.