The problem with that is, as Broward Co. stated when they decided not to go forward with hand-counting, without evidence of a mechanical failure, they are instructed to stop with the machine re-count. It didn't matter that the vote could change, according to them. It only mattered that the rules required mechanical failure evidence to go forward.
There is no evidence of mechanical failure that halted the orderly counting of ballots, let alone one that favored one candidate, save that it's obvious that if you recover votes from counties leaning to one candidate, you create an inherent bias for that candidate, and an unfairness.
I'm mildly surprised to see Bush essentially won the ruling so far...but it makes sense.
If I were the Secretary of State, I certainly would NOT enter into accepting limited hand-count totals from partisan counties only, beyond the mandated deadline, would you? YUK! Hence, barring a higher court demanding a hand-recount of the whole state, her FAIR discretion MUST be to follow the law and enforce the deadline, because it's clear that to do otherwise would favor one candidate unfairly, as it stands.
Dan B |
