WA Gov. Race: Counties Deny GOP's Plea to Reconsider Rossi Votes

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | 29 December 2004 | Chris McGann

[Publius]

County election officials across the state have turned down the Republican Party's request to reconsider rejected votes for gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi, who is now faced with contesting the entire election or conceding.

State Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt called the county auditors' uniform refusal a clear sign that the never-ending governor's election has finally run its course.

"Chris Gregoire will be the next governor of Washington state," Berendt said. "Canvassing boards have spoken, and they have clearly stated this election is done."

With few or no openings left for Rossi, the Republicans redoubled their assault on the integrity of King County's election system, making the case to invalidate the entire election.

Gregoire won a hand recount by 129 votes out of 2.8 million cast. Rossi had won the original count by 261 votes and a mandatory machine recount by 42.

The final 129-vote margin is one less than announced at the end of the hand recount last week. One vote for Gregoire was subtracted from Thurston County's tally because it had been added after the county's initial certification.

King County violated state law by permanently altering ballots in which voter intent was apparently clear but marked for more than one candidates, according to state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance.

County representatives said elections staff followed legal guidelines.

"There is one way to settle this," Vance said. "Show us the ballots. King County is required to keep records regarding enhanced and altered ballots, so surely they are available to be inspected."

Vance said he is "eager to close the chapter on this election" but won't until he gets answers to that and many other questions about King County elections.

In their fight to get previously rejected ballots reconsidered, most county auditors declined the Republicans' request outright in part because Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed advised against it.

Kittitas, Grays Harbor, Lewis and Clark counties did reconvene canvassing boards but chose not to consider any new ballots.

Kittitas County Auditor David Bowen said the canvassing board decided not to review the ballots associated with the affidavits presented by the Republicans because it was too late.

"Since the deadline had come and gone, those affidavits were no longer valid for this election," Bowen said.

The county certified the manual recount Dec. 13 and considered that date the deadline.

Rossi's spokeswoman Mary Lane said refusal to review rejected ballots strengthens the argument that the election was unfair.

"The decisions today highlight the fact that there is inconsistency across the state in the way disenfranchised voters are treated," Lane said.

Republicans are upset that hundreds of mistakenly rejected absentee ballots in King County were considered in the hand recount, which helped Gregoire. The state Supreme Court ruled last week that those ballots could be counted because the error had been discovered before King County finished its recount.

The secretary of state is scheduled to certify the results tomorrow.

Lane said Rossi hasn't made any decisions yet on contesting the election or conceding.

Berendt said: "Republicans and Democrats across the state have worked together to have an accurate hand count. Rossi just didn't like the results. His last shot at overturning the election faded today, when Democratic and Republican auditors turned him down."

[chimera]

The post I was replying to stated that there was a rumor that Rossi was going to concede. If he concedes what is clearly a case of election fraud, he gives legitimacy to what is clearly an illegitimate process. Conceding defeat when you know you really haven't lost fair and square is the tactic I and others protest. Because it is the strategy of a loser. If Rossi and the Republicans throw in the towel knowing that the "election" of Gregoire was rigged, just in the hopes of prevailing in some hypothetical future contest, they'll be playing right into the hands of the 'Rats, who will bury them the next time out.

I lived through the McIntyre-McCloskey theft of '84, so I know whereof I speak. McIntyre rolled over and conceded that one which was an outright robbery, the 'Pubs all told him to be their good boy and they'd help him "get" McCloskey in '86, and he ended up getting creamed.

Talk about Thune-Johnson-Daschle all you want. The political dynamics of a statewide race in a moderate to conservative midwest state are vastly different from a liberal, 'Rat-dominated west coast state. This was a rare win opportunity for Republicans. Those kinds of chances seldom come along. If we don't grab for the brass ring this time around, if we slink off to the sidelines and pat ourselves on the back about how close we came, and of how that bodes well for "next time" against Can't Do Well, or Murray, or Gregoire II, we'll likely end up on the wrong end of a landslide.

[Calif Conservative]

My primary point is I just can't buy the claim that the GOP always caves in.

I realize how frustrating it is to live in a Demo-dominated state, and how you don't want to let the few chances to win slip away: I'm from California's Bay Area.

I well remember the narrow victories that Boxer had over Herschensohn, Feinstein over Huffington, and Davis over Simon.

Those were tough to take, especially Boxer's first win, considering how useless she's been since. Feinstein at least is not completely hopeless, and Davis is on the ash heap of recall history. (Of course, Schwarzenegger is a RINO)

It's hard to believe that as recently as the three elections of the 1980s, California was Reagan Country, and for one election GHW Bush Country.

-George

[Chad Fairbanks]

Just came over the wires - Rossi is not conceding...

[Publius]

Excellent. (I sent him a fat check the other day, and I would have been pissed if he caved.)

[Chad Fairbanks]

Well, this is just another example of us fake conservative, RINO, caving GOP wussies ad nauseum...

[Libertina]

Love ya, Chad. Keep up the fight :)

[chimera]

OK, George. You're right, they don't always, and you are correct to call me on an inadvertent generalization. Bush fought against the attempted theft of his legitimate victory, in the face of those who were calling upon him to concede on the basis of his losing the popular vote. He stood by the Constitution and that was the correct thing to do.

Close loses are heartbreaking and in those cases where we lose fairly and squarely, then we just have to suck it up and try again. The race in WA is just too questionable to lie down for. I hear lately that Dino Rossi is not conceding and I think that is the correct thing to do, in this case. He should fight for what he believes in and if he believes there are too many questions about Gregoire's reputed "victory", then concession is the last thing to consider.