Posted on 12/24/2004 2:29:35 PM PST by Grendel9
Gregoire(D) 1,373,051 +609
Rossi(R) 1,373,041 +557
Results not final ********
Don’t call her Gov. Gregoire – yet Final recount puts Democrat ahead by 130, but Rossi and GOP plan to appeal outcome
KENNETH P. VOGEL; The News Tribune Last updated: December 24th, 2004 02:40 AM
Democrat Christine Gregoire sealed an extraordinary come-from-behind 130-vote victory in the third and final count in the governor’s race Thursday. But Republican Dino Rossi, winner of the first two counts, refused to concede. His supporters expressed outrage over the results and laid the groundwork to challenge them.
Washington’s first statewide hand recount concluded Thursday when King County’s canvassing board, cleared by a state Supreme Court decision a day earlier, validated and tallied 566 previously uncounted ballots.
Those ballots broke 311 to 191 for Gregoire, who started the day with a 10-vote lead after trailing for most of the hand recount of more than 2.8 million votes.
Secretary of State Sam Reed plans to certify Gregoire’s victory Dec. 30. He said state law prohibits more votes from being counted since all 39 counties have certified their results.
But Republicans asserted that Wednesday’s state Supreme Court decision changed that law. They approached elections officials in most counties demanding they count Rossi votes that were wrongly excluded.
Gregoire, speaking Thursday night to reporters and supporters in the domed Legislative building in Olympia, stopped short of declaring victory. But she used Reed’s stance both to portray the election as over and pressure him to certify the results.
“I feel good. The secretary of state has called the election over,” Gregoire said. “But we need one last step and that’s that we need the secretary of state to formally announce those results.”
As she spoke, dozens of Republican protesters gathered outside the building and chanted, “Count all votes!”
Gregoire, who mostly stayed out of sight as Rossi won the initial count by 261 votes and the first recount by 42 votes, assumed a gubernatorial air Thursday. Standing in front of the marble walls of the state Capitol and the U.S. and Washington state flags, she was flanked by her husband and two daughters and outgoing two-term Gov. Gary Locke. A fellow Democrat and staunch ally, Locke introduced Gregoire as “the apparent governor-elect.”
Locke said the 1,718 new votes counted proved that the hand recount, which the state Democratic Party initiated by depositing $730,000, was more accurate than the previous two counts, which were done by machines.
It’s the first time that a statewide recount reversed the results of a race in Washington. According to state law, that means the state must reimburse the Democrats’ $730,000 deposit, and those costs will likely fall to the 39 counties.
But Rossi, who did not make a public appearance and refused interview requests, issued a statement questioning the hand count.
“I know many Washingtonians are hoping this will end soon, but I’m also sure that people across this state want a clean election and a legitimate governor-elect. At this point, we have neither,” he said in the statement, which dropped the “Governor-elect Dino Rossi” letterhead and went back to “Dino Rossi for Governor.”
“Like many people across Washington,” Rossi added, “I’m very concerned about the integrity of this election process, and I’m also very concerned that not all votes are being treated equally.”
GOP wants more votes counted
The campaign’s statement outlined Republican efforts to get county canvassing boards to count additional Rossi votes that supporters said were wrongly excluded.
While Rossi struck a diplomatic tone, Republican allies bristled over the last two days’ developments, which saw their man go from 49 votes up to 130 down.
“In my opinion, Dino Rossi won this election. I will never believe otherwise,” said state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance. “Those ballots in King County should never have been brought back from the dead. And I believe that King County’s hand recount was wrong.”
Vance said Republican lawyers and activists Thursday went to “virtually every” auditor’s office with demands to reopen their hand recounts and examine affidavits from Rossi voters whose ballots didn’t count.
The party has 263 affidavits from Rossi voters whose names appeared on a list of ballots that were rejected for signature problems. It’s working to collect information from more Rossi voters whose ballots didn’t count, including military personnel overseas.
“She’s ahead now, but she has not won this count. And step one is we’re going to try to win this count,” Vance said.
At least one county, Kittitas, has scheduled a meeting of its canvassing board for next week to review the Republican affidavits, Reed said, though he said he advised county election officials not to accept more ballots.
King County rejected more than 90 affidavits Thursday before its canvassing board certified its results.
Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy said her office also turned down the Republicans who presented about 60 affidavits Thursday asking the county to reopen the canvassing.
“There is no going back once we certified,” she said, citing advice from a county attorney. “I’m going by the book on everything and following the law.”
two moves considered
If Republicans want to challenge the results, McCarthy said, their only option is to “contest” the election.
A contest, which would likely take the form of a ballot-by-ballot challenge of election results before either the state Supreme Court or the Legislature, is one of two moves Republicans are considering if they’re unable to reverse the results of the hand recount. The other is suing in state or federal court to invalidate the election results.
Thursday’s requests of county auditors could set the stage for either move, both of which could result in a new election, an option Republicans favor.
Any voter, candidate or political party has until Jan. 20 – that’s 10 days after the Legislature certifies the results of the election – to initiate a contest, which could take weeks or even months.
Gregoire said the election process played out exactly as it should, and that the third count sealed it.
“It is time for this race and this election to be over,” she said. “It is time for us to move forward.”
She said that will happen when Reed signs off on the recount results, which he has scheduled for Dec. 30.
The secretary of state, who is visiting family in Oregon for Christmas, contradicted Gregoire’s assertion. He said that what he plans to do next week – technically known as “amending the abstract” of results – “doesn’t have any consequence anyway. If I thought it made any difference, I’d be here.” Kenneth P. Vogel: 360-754-6093
ken.vogel@thenewstribune.com
Not a shread of difference between the KGB/Mafia that steals elections in Russia and the Ukraine, and the evil US democrat party.
More Democrat chicanery, no doubt.
Such hypocrisy: Rossi's 261-vote lead was a "tie", but manufacture a 130-vote "advantage" and it's "time to move forward"....
How about YOU move forward, Christine, off a short dock into the Puget sound?
Very simple question for the Dems- Count all the votes? Yes or no. It's what they've been squawking aboutfor 4 years now. Did they mean it or not?
We're waiting for the answer.
LOL, how did this prove anything? Oh, I know becuase the dim came out ahead.
The republican Party should contest the election. Lets find out how many votes are fraudulent and from whence they came. I for one am willing to donate to that cause. Any day, any time.
Jesse "Extortionist" Jackson came here to Ohio and declared all election officials corrupt and demanded that "every vote be counted"
Where is the Reverentless now?? Phony two bit creep
No. It's over. The Dems stole this election, fair and square. The Republicans should simply step down and allow them to have it WHILE STILL demanding a FEDERAL investigation of Election Fraud in King County. Then, go full bore on the next election in WA. Make the Dems PAY for this treason.
Now it's a "Victory."
Yes, send all the Money you can spare to the next "true"
Conservatives running in Washington State.
No "Rinos"
Given the current standard of the law, that everybody seems to think is just fine, this endless litigation, about just how hand jobs are done in each county, and whether everybody gets the same hand job, will become SOP. It is just so ludicrous. If a vote is not machine readable, it is not a legal vote, is my standard. But nobody in power in any branch of government in any state agrees with me. I am just breaking wind in a hurricane. Granted my guild is getting some more action from it all, so well, to say there is no silver lining for some would be false.
Hey Sam! Do us a favor and STAY IN OREGON!
Secretary of State Sam Reed plans to certify Gregoire’s victory Dec. 30. He said state law prohibits more votes from being counted since all 39 counties have certified their results.
I do believe that ALL counties CERTIFIED their results two previous times and yet new votes have been added. Explain that RINO Secretary of State Reed.
"all 39 counties have certified their results. "
Perhaps we can find a priest to ANNUL these perjured oaths.....
Perhaps we can find a priest to ANNUL these perjured oaths.....
Don't count on judges since they also have perjured their oaths.
GOV. CHRISTINE FRAUDOIRE
Pass It On
Did King County certify more than once?
THIS is the election that AlGore wanted to have in FloriDUH in 2000!!
I guess after 4 years, the Dems managed to perfect the cheating and figured out how to recount and "discover-misplaced-ballots" themselves into a win.
And they're doing it where everyone can see it - right out in public!!
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