CNN Refuses to call Ohio for Bush. Judy Woodruff says Kerry might win based on the provisional ballots. Wolfie Blitzer digging in about CNN being cautious. They speculate Ohio might drop to a 50,000 difference, that provisional ballots would make up the difference if there are 200,000 provisional ballots. They never say how many provisional ballots exist in Ohio, however.
or how legal those ballots are
125-150K provisionable ballots in OH.
It's important that President Bush's lead in Ohio stay over 100,000 when all the non-provisional ballots are counted. Otherwise, if his lead DOES drop to 50,000 or so, then those provisional ballots could indeed be used for mischief.
The whole concept of a "provisional ballot" and "early voting" is idiocy anyway. You register to vote, you show up at your designated polling place on the first Tuesday in November, you stand in line if you have to, you show valid identification to the poll worker, and you vote. How bloody hard is that? 120 million people did it today!
No instant registration, no early voting except for valid absentee ballots, no provisional ballots, and no voting without valid identification that matches the address on the voter rolls. If your ID can't be matched with your address on the voter roll, you don't get to vote, period. That's not "disenfranchisement," it's the penalty for being too lazy to keep your addresses current and registering properly!
}:-)4