Posted on 12/05/2004 10:45:00 PM PST by TBP
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 5 -- When Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell certifies the state's final presidential election results, declaring President Bush the winner by about 119,000 votes, critics say they intend to present two challenges.
Lawyers representing voters upset about problems at the polls plan to contest the results with the Ohio Supreme Court, citing documented cases of long lines, a shortage of machines and a pattern of problems in predominantly black neighborhoods. In addition, third-party candidates, bolstered by a favorable federal court ruling, plan to file requests for a recount in each of Ohio's 88 counties. About 400 people rallied at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Saturday to demand that a recount begin immediately.
The efforts represent "an incredible long shot," said Steven Huefner, an Ohio State University law professor. "Courts are just incredibly reluctant to overturn the results of an election, absent a really strong showing that something happened that affected the outcome."
Bush defeated Democrat John F. Kerry in the state by two percentage points when provisional and absentee ballots were counted. That was much closer than the totals on election night but not close enough to trigger an automatic recount.
Green and Libertarian party candidates have raised the $113,600 required to pay for a recount. A ruling by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. on Friday, rejecting Delaware County's attempt to stop a recount, paved the way for it to begin after Ohio's electors meet on Dec. 13.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
After publicly conceding, Kerry is using the Greens to mount a backdoor challenge to the election results, one which his campaign has now quietly joined. This is something that Kerry had said he was not going to do, but I guess he was against it before he was for it.
Democrats just cannot accept losing gracefully.
This is a lie, isn't it?
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
The SLIMES want to cast a "FLORIDA" cloud over our President for four more years. What a bunch of brain warped morons.
As for the cowardly Kerry going through his green and libertarian party friends, he's just trying to satisfy his loony-left base. He thinks that if he joins in the drumbeat of this being a "stolen" election, the democrats will give him another chance to go for the job in '08 that was wrongfully denied him in '04--a Richard Nixon sort of scenario.
This is just a futile exercise, it's not going anywhere. Even if they were to find a way-out-there leftist judge willing to throw out the results, the OH supreme court would reverse it. They also can't fish for more votes since the 2R-2D county election boards would have to get a republican over to their side for any vote to count for Kerry. And unless they have "proof" that meets the legal bar and is prosecutable, it doesn't rise above the level of sore-loser, partisan accusations.
Well maybe if the Democrats hadn't trucked so many unregistered voters to the polls to use provisional ballots (only to have them thrown out), there would have been more opportunity for registered voters to vote.
If you think a margin of 118,000 versus 136,000 is "much" closer, whatever. I think it is abuse of the English language. Would not a better term be "slightly closer?"
L
He says this like it's a BAD thing.
OF COURSE they are reluctant to change the outcome if there's no evidence that something happened that affected the outcome.
However, loser and democrat are synonymous.
This is so sad. Elections will never again be "over." It's time to move on. Kerry is a pathetic loser. Therayzuh has loads of money to keep recounting.How about recounting Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire while we're at it. Maybe we can find some uncounted Republican ballots.
It would be wise for our statistically oriented Freepers to engage and come up with explanations for their array of "evidence". The courts are going to be hearing only one slanted side of the story soon. There needs to be rebuttal. With rebuttal, the courts will not do anything rash. Without it, they may.
I've spent some time over at DU of late...ok so I was bored.
Those people over there are really sick puppies....if they represent mainstream democrats...that party is in serious trouble...
Now this post election debacle....
The scary part is, some of these people hold elected office....and some are even Judges....
Maybe civil war isn't such a bad idea afterall.
Fortunately, the DU-type loonies do not control the political power structure in OH. I think that played a big part in Kerry's conceding so soon, that he knew he wouldn't have very many "friends" in high places that could really help him try to steal the state.
Tell me again; Why hasn't the third party movement taken off in the United States?
(Perplexed Smiley.)
Him closing the gap by that much isn't a big surprise either. Dems seem to gain after election night results, but rarely by a huge amount.
I was lurking over at the Daily Kos and they too are certifiably nuts also
They are are saying that Jon Conyers will be calling for an federal investigation
FINE .. How about we start with Philadelphia .. then we should move on to Chicago
Are there not states that Lurch won by a scant 8000 votes another was 10,000. Why dont Republicans ask for recounts in these states? With all the cheating,votes from felons and dead people by the RATS, We probably won 3 or 4 more states, but dont even know it! These pathetic Dems are recounting themselves into a hole there never going to get out of. Keep it up Dims, you'll never win another election again.People dont want to vote for a party thats a joke and a laughing stock.
I have a DU account, self-cast as a "liberal". I go on all the recount threads and egg them on. Look at the dough that they're wasting on shysters. Rather than spending it on organization or something positive, they're squandering it on something that makes them look loony. I'm lmao at these clowns.
In 2000, Bush did not ask for a recount in New Mexico after the razor-thin Gore victory there. Just look at what is going on in Ohio now, or in Washington state.
'Rats don't seem to get that when they lose, it's their fault, not some error counting the votes.
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