Jai, as a former election official who worked for the Michigan Secretary of State, I can state with a fair amount of authority that your claim that there can be no recount for the entire state is wrong. I don't claim to know the ins and outs of the Florida statute, but from what I have seen reported, it is quite similar to that in Michigan or in New York State, where I currently live.
In fact, in New York State, we had a state-wide election in 1998 that was close enough to cause the state to order a new count of all the votes. In particular, all the absentee and affidavit ballots were counted in each of the 61 counties in New York. The recount was requested by the incumbent Republican Attorney General, who was running for reelection and was behind by about 10,000 votes -- a far greater margin than between Bush and Gore.
All the votes were recounted, and as the recount progressed the margin of loss for the Republican incumbent increased to about 30,000. He still refused to concede, but eventually he was offered a deal he coudn't refuse; namely that he would not be prosecuted for alleged criminal misconduct while in office.
If Bush wants a recount of all the counties in Florida, he is entitled to it, and most likely at state expense because of the closeness of the vote. He probably doesn't want it because it could increase the total number of votes for Gore.
Art |
