Posted on 11/16/2004 2:42:43 PM PST by dinok
A statewide recount of the presidential vote appears inevitable after a pair of third-party candidates said they have collected enough money to pay for it.
The recount would be conducted after the election results are certified in early December.
Libertarian Michael Badnarik and the Green Party's David Cobb said on Monday they raised more than $150,000 in four days, mostly in small contributions.
Ohio law requires payment of $10 per precinct for a recount, or $113,600 statewide.
Badnarik and Cobb said they aren't trying to overturn President Bush's 136,000-vote victory in Ohio, but just want to ensure that all votes were counted properly in the face of concerns about Election Day irregularities.
(Excerpt) Read more at wcpo.com ...
Well, there's only one reason I can see to behave as he is behaving, and for the party to do what they've done, and that is to defeat President Bush in favor of John Kerry. If Libertarians are basically freedom-loving people, why on earth would they do that?
Actually, while Dino may well win anyway (it's a REAL barn burner, right now, he is up by 156 votes), in this particular case, the L 'may' have actually helped him.
Ruth Bennett, the L, is a lesbian, and campaigned almost exclusively on gay issues, and actually said she wanted to prove that L's could take votes away from D's. So it is arguable that she actually costs Gregoire (the D) votes.
That said, it is also arguable that most people just vote L when they are mad at the R's, and what she talked about didn't matter.
Still, in this particular case, unlike Slade Gorton's loss in 2000, it is arguable that the L didn't hurt the R. In Gorton's case, it is as close to a cold hard fact as you can get that he lost because of the L, it's a lot less clear cut this time.
I guess the bottom line is the same as in 2000. If you are going to do a state recount in Ohio, then by all rights, it should be done in the other close states (like NH and PA) I don't consider Ohio that close (not like Florida) but let's face it. A close look at all the states would yield problems in fraud and just plain mistakes as well. Statistically, the provisionals should "go" the same way as the rest of the county where they're from. That's why Kerry didn't challenge things...the Provisionals were not all in Cuyahoga County so he knows that Bush is going to get votes too..too many for Kerry to counter
Basically there is nothing to worry about the PV...
I don't under the Libertarian Party this election. Why do they want to have John Kerry win.. He is the Anti-Libertarian.. I will never vote for that party period...
Yes. Ten dollars per precinct is absurd. Was that law written in 1801 or something? Ohioans should update that little item.
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