[Vision2020] Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought

[Tbertruss at aol.com]

Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought

By JOHN SEEWER, AP

TOLEDO, Ohio (Dec. 4) - President Bush's victory over John Kerry in Ohio was 
closer than the unofficial election night totals showed, but the change is not 
enough to trigger an automatic recount, according to county-by-county results 
provided to The Associated Press on Friday.

Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his 
re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes, which is smaller than the unofficial 
margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed. That means Kerry 
drew closer by about 17,000 votes.

The margin shrank primarily because of the addition of provisional ballots 
that were not counted on Election Day and were not included in the unofficial 
tally. Overseas ballots also were added to the count in all 88 counties.

And about a quarter of Kerry's gain was the result of an electronic voting 
system glitch that gave Bush 3,893 extra votes in a suburban Columbus precinct. 
The extra votes had been included in the unofficial count, but aren't part of 
the official tally.

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell will certify the results Monday.

The president's margin of victory was about 2 percent, not close enough to 
require an automatic recount. That happens only when the difference is 0.25 
percent or less.

Bush beat Kerry nationally by 3 percentage points.

Out of 156,977 provisional ballots checked, 121,598 were pronounced valid and 
were accepted, meaning about one in five was thrown out, according to an AP 
tabulation. Provisional voters are cast when poll workers cannot immediately 
confirm if a voter was properly registered.

How many provisional ballots were cast for Bush and how many were cast for 
Kerry were not known, because most county election boards did not break down the 
votes that way. Most boards combined provisional ballots with overseas 
ballots and those cast on Election Day, then counted the entire batch to reach their 
final tallies.

The Kerry campaign and two third-party candidates are seeking a recount in 
Ohio. The Green and Libertarian parties said they have raised enough money to 
cover the cost. The Kerry campaign said it is not disputing the outcome of the 
presidential race but wants to make sure any recount is "done accurately and 
completely.''

A Delaware County judge last week sided with elections officials who argued 
that a recount was a waste of time and money, but a federal judge overturned 
the decision Friday.

However, U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus ruled against the third party 
candidates' request for the recount to begin immediately. A recount probably won't 
occur until after Ohio's electors meet Dec. 13.

The narrowing of Bush's margin only increases the possibility that the 
election results could be changed, the Green Party said. "Who knows what else will 
turn up when we examine the discarded ballots?'' Green spokesman Blair Bobier 
asked.

Many county leaders think spending an estimated $1.5 million on a recount 
would be a waste of money.

"If we thought the recount would change the outcome of the election, we might 
feel differently,'' said Larry Long, executive director of the state's County 
Commissioners Association.

12/04/04 00:07 EST
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V2020 Post by Ted Moffett
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