In a desperate attempt to manufacture more Gore votes, Broward County Democrat canvassing board shifts the standard in re-count and begins counting dimpled, half pregnant, 1 corner and other other kind of Gore chad imaginable. Yeah, tell me again how hand recounts are so accurate! LOL..
Broward County reverses decision on some chads
By Terry Spencer
The Associated Press
cnews.tribune.com
November 19, 2000 2:18 PM EST
PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) -- Republicans accused the Broward County canvassing board of bowing to political pressure today after the board reversed a decision to disqualify ballots with dimple or one corner chads.
The board had been throwing out any ballots that did not have two corners poked out of the chad -- the tiny pieces of paper in a punch-card ballot.
``The Gore campaign now wants to lower the bar because it needs more votes,'' said Ed Pozzuoli, chairman of the county's Republican Party.
Pozzuoli said it was unfair for the board to change the rules in the middle of the recount. With 301 of the county's 609 precincts counted by midday Sunday, Gore had gained 93 votes over the official tallies sent to the secretary of state on Tuesday. It remained uncertain if any of the manually recounted votes would be added to the official totals.
Since the start of the hand counting of the 588,000 ballots, the counters have set aside questionable ballots in an envelope just in cast they needed to be reviewed.
The board said Sunday it would consider the ballots with dimple, pregnant chads or otherwise questionable chads after its appellate attorney, Andrew J. Meyers, said the two-corner standard would not hold up in court.
On Friday, Circuit Judge John Miller told the board to reconsider its decision and warned he would order them to do so if they did not examine the ballots to see if a voter's intent could be determined.
Democrats applauded the board's change of heart.
``These chad marks didn't get on the ballot by osmosis,'' said Democratic attorney Charles Lichtman, who added the voter's choice was obvious on many of the ballots that have thus far been thrown out. ``The only way they could have occurred is with a stylus in a voting booth.''
Secretary of State Katherine Harris has said she won't accept any manual recount totals, but the Florida Supreme Court ruled Friday that she cannot certify election results until it holds a hearing Monday |
