Posted on 12/28/2004 11:26:59 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
Election officials finished the presidential recount in Ohio on Tuesday, with the final tally shaving about 300 votes off President Bush's six-figure margin of victory in the state that gave him a second term.
The recount shows Bush winning Ohio by 118,457 votes over John Kerry, according to unofficial results provided to The Associated Press by the 88 counties. Lucas County, home to Toledo, was the last to finish counting.
The state had earlier declared Bush the winner by 118,775 votes and plans to adjust its totals to reflect the recount later this week.
The Kerry campaign supported the recount, but said it did not expect the tally to change the election winner. Supporters of the recount, requested by two minor party candidates, said they wanted to make sure every valid vote was counted.
Ohio and its 20 electoral votes tipped the race to Bush when Kerry conceded the morning after the vote.
Kerry gained 734 more votes in the recount, and Bush picked up 449, mostly from disqualified ballots that were counted in the second tally because hanging chads had come loose when ballots were handled again or rerun through counting machines.
That put Kerry 285 votes closer to Bush. The president's victory margin declined by about three dozen more votes when some counties adjusted their certified vote totals.
The Green and Libertarian party presidential candidates asked for the recount and raised the $113,600 required under state law for the process.
Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell has estimated that the recount will end up costing taxpayers $1.5 million.
Witnesses who watched workers count ballots by hand and machine said the effort provided assurance that boards were accurately counting ballots.
Leaders in the Democrat Party called the results "a virtual tie" and called for a hand recount...
It's finally done!
This should produce an interesting edition of the DUmmie FUnnies.
Well, this proves it, Kerry won.
How many more "recounts" will they demand?
(As many as it takes to show Kerry leading)
"Vote closer??" Yea, right! Typical MSM media reporting.
Help us Will Pitt, help us!!!
Bwaaa haaa haa haaa haaaaaa!!!
That's about $389.60/vote (gained) out of the lefties pocket, but $52,232.98/vote (gained) out of the pocket of Ohioans.
Come on does anyone, with a brain, really believe this? Why do they only seem to care about "every valid vote" in state Bush won? I already know the answer but it drives me crazy nevertheless.
I'd like to see a breakdown of the total cost for this recount so we can determine how much per vote it cost for Kerry to gain the additional 300 votes. Maybe the DNC could pick up the tab?
per "changed" vote, to be technically accurate.
Ach! $5,223.30/vote (gained) out of the pocket of Ohioans.
Thanks! You answered my question before I asked it.
So lets see, at this rate for the democrat to win they need to spend about,
($1.5 million/285 votes)*(118,775 votes)=$625.1 million
It's only taxpayer money. Let's count all 50 states again. Let's outsource the hand recount to Delhi.
Wow! Hold the presses. This is headline stuff.
See how how close it really was. Kerry almost won.
If Kerry only got 117 thousand more votes it would be almost tied.
Note the correction in 14.
Just from the headline, I knew this had to be from the AP.
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