"But the consortium, looking at a broader
group of rejected ballots than those
covered in the court decisions, 175,010 in
all, found that Mr. Gore might have won if
the courts had ordered a full statewide
recount of all the rejected ballots. This also
assumes that county canvassing boards
would have reached the same conclusions
about the disputed ballots that the
consortium's independent observers did.
The findings indicate that Mr. Gore might
have eked out a victory if he had pursued in
court a course like the one he publicly
advocated when he called on the state to
"count all the votes."
In addition, the review found statistical
support for the complaints of many voters,
particularly elderly Democrats in Palm
Beach County, who said in interviews after the election that confusing ballot designs
may have led them to spoil their ballots by voting for more than one
candidate.
More than 113,000 voters cast ballots for two or more presidential
candidates. Of those, 75,000 chose Mr. Gore and a minor candidate;
29,000 chose Mr. Bush and a minor candidate. Because there was no clear
indication of what the voters intended, those numbers were not included in
the consortium's final tabulations.
Thus the most thorough examination of Florida's uncounted ballots provides
ammunition for both sides in what remains the most disputed and mystifying
presidential election in modern times. It illuminates in detail the weaknesses
of Florida's system that prevented many from voting as they intended to. But
it also provides support for the result that county election officials and the
courts ultimately arrived at — a Bush victory by the tiniest of margins."
Excerpt from, " Study of Disputed Florida Ballots Finds Justices Did Not Cast the Deciding Vote"
from The New York Times
November 12, 2001
By FORD FESSENDEN and JOHN M. BRODER |
