NYT: Florida law makes it clear that the purpose of a recount is to
determine the intent of each voter, but it is silent on how to
make that determination — how many corners of the chad, if
any, have to be detached to make the vote count. Before
starting its recount of nearly 600,000 votes, Broward County
adopted a "two-corner rule," which the Democrats challenged
in state court. At a hearing on Friday, a state circuit judge
expressed doubt that the rule was valid, but did not issue a final
decision.
Today, the three-member Brow ard County canvassing board
unanimously reversed itself and decided to examine "the totality
of each ballot," including those that are merely dimpled without
any detached corners, in determining voter intent. The county
filed a new brief with the Supreme Court this afternoon asking
the justices to resolve the question, even in the absence of a
lower court ruling, and to uphold the canvassing board's new
approach. |
