What is he going to do......protest every single county that votes against him and demand a recount? Is he going to do this nationwide? -gg-
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Kerry to Stay on Top of Florida Vote
2 hours, 52 minutes ago
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - John Kerry (news - web sites) is determined not to lose Florida's 27 electoral votes in a swamp of recounts and recriminations this fall, vowing to mount an early legal challenge in any district that might repeat the problems that bedeviled Democratic supporters in 2000.
"Not only do we want a record level of turnout to vote, we want to guarantee that every vote is counted," the presumptive Democratic nominee told about 500 people at a town hall meeting Monday.
Kerry rarely mentions the legal battle over the 2000 election while campaigning, but he did so repeatedly in the state that was the epicenter four years ago. Responding to a voter who asked, "What can you do to prevent them from stealing the election again?", Kerry, a lawyer and former Massachusetts prosecutor, said his campaign was assembling a legal team to examine districts which had problems.
"We're going to pre-check it, we're going to have the legal team in place. ... We're going to take injunctions where necessary ahead of time. We'll pre-challenge if necessary," the four-term Massachusetts senator said.
The 2000 recount looms large in nearly any political discourse in Florida. George W. Bush won the presidency by one electoral vote when a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court ended a recount in the state. Bush spent millions of dollars fighting Al Gore (news - web sites)'s effort to have votes recounted, a legal battle that lasted for 36 days. Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes by a 537-vote margin. This year, an additional two electoral votes are at stake.
Worries are already being raised about changes in Florida's voting methods since the disputed election. Kerry said he wants to be sure there is no chance of foul play.
"I don't think we ought to have any vote cast in America that cannot be traced and properly recounted," he said. "I intend to ask this legal team to do that, and we will identify those districts where people have had trouble voting in the past."
Kerry's fund raising increased since he locked up the nomination last Tuesday. His campaign said it raised roughly $6 million over the Internet, including more than $1 million a day for three straight days.
Florida and three states — Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas — select a total of 465 delegates to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. As Kerry visited three Florida cities to encourage people to vote in the state primary, he contended that President Bush (news - web sites) has learned none of the lessons of the 2000 election. Bush has shut out Democrats, he said, and has acted as if the razor-thin win was a mandate.
"Remember, George Bush ran as the great uniter, and he's become the great divider," Kerry said. "You'd think that somebody, remembering what happened here in this great state, who was finally put in office by the Supreme Court of the United States, would actually recognize the divisions in this country and try to reach out."
Campaigning in state in which 17.6 percent of its population is 65 and older — the highest concentration of elderly in the nation — Kerry accused Bush of breaking promises to senior citizens and called the prescription drug package approved by Congress a billion-dollar giveaway to drug companies.
"Our seniors deserve the best care America has to offer," he said. "What they do not deserve is another four years of broken promises and failed policies from George W. Bush." Kerry was joined by Florida Democratic Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson, both of whom have been mentioned as a potential running mate.
Bush is campaigning equally as hard in the state, making it one of his most frequent stops to raise money. He's counting on help from his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, who easily won a second term in 2002.
A poll released Sunday showed Kerry with a slight lead over Bush — 49 percent to 43 percent in the survey done by Democratic pollster Rob Schroth and Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway for The Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times. Independent Ralph Nader (news - web sites) had 3 percent.
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