Posted on 11/30/2004 7:55:15 PM PST by woofie
SANTA FE — Green and Libertarian Party presidential candidates are seeking a statewide recount of ballots in New Mexico's presidential contest that President Bush won by a 5,988-vote margin.
Green Party nominee David Cobb and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik want a recount in all precincts and a recheck of voting machines to ensure an accurate count of presidential ballots, said Blair Bobier, a spokesman for the Cobb campaign.
"We feel that for protection of the voting process and ensuring that people have not only the right to vote but to have their vote count, that a recount is warranted," Bobier said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
It's uncertain whether a recount could be completed before New Mexico's presidential electors are scheduled meet Dec. 13 to cast their five votes for Bush.
Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson said, "I don't believe a recount is needed."
Richardson said "we know what the problems" are with the state election system, and he plans to propose changes during next year's legislative session, including uniform standards for determining whether a provisional ballot is valid and will be counted.
"I think the result is clear — President Bush won by less than 1 percent," Richardson said at a news conference.
The secretary of state's office confirmed it had received the recount request along with a deposit of $114,000.
Denise Lamb, director of the state bureau of elections, said she was trying to determine whether a larger deposit was necessary. She also stressed that the campaigns could end up paying the cost of the recount — an amount much greater than the deposit — if the outcome of the race is not changed after ballots are tallied again.
Cobb and Badnarik announced earlier this month they intend to seek a recount in Ohio — the state that essentially decided the presidential race in favor of Bush — because of reports of alleged voting irregularities.
Bobier said there also had been voting problems in New Mexico. About 18,000 provisional ballots were cast although many were disqualified, and Bobier expressed concerns about the lack of a verified paper trail for some electronic voting machines. Lamb said only a small portion of voting machines statewide were so-called touch screen machines.
Under New Mexico law, a candidate seeking a recount must pay a deposit of $50 for each precinct for which a recount is demanded and a deposit of $10 for each voting machine for which a recheck is sought. There are nearly 1,500 precincts statewide.
If no error or fraud is found that changes the outcome of the race, the applicant must pay for costs of the recount. The state or county pays if the recount changes the winner.
The campaigns of Cobb and Badnarik, for example, could be responsible for paying mileage of county sheriffs in serving summons to potentially thousands of precinct board members across New Mexico along with mileage of precinct board workers to appear at courthouses for the recount.
The presidential race in New Mexico was among the closest in the country.
Bush won with 376,930 votes, or 49.8 percent; Democrat John Kerry received 370,942 votes, or 49 percent, according to official returns certified by the state canvassing board.
Badnarik received 2,382 vote, or 0.3 percent; Cobb got 1,226, or 0.2 percent.
Greg Graves, executive director of the state Republican Party, said it was highly unlikely a recount would change the outcome of the presidential race in New Mexico because Bush won by almost 6,000 votes.
"With 3,000 votes to change, it would be difficult to flip. I don't think they're out there," Graves said.
Even if a recount showed Bush lost New Mexico, the state's five electoral votes are insufficient to tilt the presidential race nationally in favor of Kerry.
"Winning it (New Mexico) means a great deal to the Bush-Cheney people and the Bush-Cheney supporters," said Graves. "I would hate to see it flip, but I don't think that a recount will get it there."
"When will these people stop?"
December 13, the electoral college votes. After that, it's over. Period.
This is despicable behavior. As posted earlier, why don't these clowns talk about Wisconsin or Pennsylvania. If they are only interested in an accurate vote count, then they should be beating down the doors in Madison and Harrisburg. They were much closer than Ohio or New Mexico. I guess that they are proving that they are nothing but Dems in disguise.
Imagine, the Libertarians, if they could simply grow up (i.e., start acting like serious candidates and get off of their free drugs kick), they could drive a final stake through the Dems. But they just can't. So the Dems will remain the (dimishing) opposition party, but only because no one will take them on and crush them.
They want it in the history books that both Bush wins were contested. It means nothing now but it may in the future.
These idiots are just trying to stay in the news.
The goal of the left is to completely undermine confidence in the American form of government. They win either way, since even by losing their allies in the public schools will use their challenges as evidence to demonstrate the the total corruption of American elections to their students.
Al Gore should be given a special place in left wing history for doing more to destroy the foundations of democracy in this country than anyone in US history.
After that, it's over. Period.
................
Not entirely. When Congress convenes to accept the eletoral votes (Jan 13? I forget) any one member of the House plus any one member of the Senate can challenge any state's submissions, then both Houses vote on the results.
Perhaps this is the motive for pointless recounts, to build the public perception of improprieties, justifying Congressional action.
No one challenged the 2000 election in either chamber.
No one will this time either. This is a good indication that the Libertarians are simply profane.
They won't. The purpose is not to overturn the election, although they'd take that of course regardless of legitimacy, but rather to discredit and weaken President Bush. It won't work.
Maxine Waters and Carrie Meek both challenged it in the House, but no on in the Senate would sign on in.
Al Gore should be given a special place in left wing history for doing more to destroy the foundations of democracy in this country than anyone in US history.
It's called the Florida Wexler/alGoresyndrome!!!
Several House members did challenge the 2000 results, but no Senator would join in their little tirade.
The end result of this madness may be to considerably tighten the ability to demand recounts. Cobb may be able to gather a recount deposit from the Kool-Aid drinkers, but he'll never be able to pay for the millions it will actually cost. The state will be left holding the bag. This is why even Dem officials are unlikely to go along with this idiocy.
How's the total popular vote going?
"When are the Libertarians going to ask for a recount of Pennsylvania or Wisconsin?"
Exactly. The Losertarians are spiteful extremists who hate the Republican party. Their fundamental purpose is to cause the Republicans grief. Neither the Losertarians nor any of their candidates deserves the support of any serious conservative.
In a time of war, with our national survival at risk, these idiots played with the lives of 300 million of their fellow citizens by endangering Bush's re-election. Thankfully, they failed to defeat them. It's time to bury these spoilers.
Translation:
"Shut the hell up!! I stole as much as I could! 28,000 votes in the middle of the night, fer cryin' out loud. You get a recount going and they're gonna find that and all the votes I stole in 2000. Let it go! - and I promise I'll steal enough in '08."
Oh, it's worse. DUers and the LL are convinced that there's massive voter fraud to be unearthed! It's not done until 2008, just like 2000 wasn't done until 2004 (or, no, wait, it's like a CD: they're justing rolling it over). Exit polls are infallible, don't ya know? (Except, well, in New Hampshire.)
And if no fraud is found, well, it just means the ballots were altered ... and the poll books ... etc., etc. I tell you, it's a religion. Geesh.
Yes, it should be the law that a recount only happens if the party filing the request has a reasonable chance of winning the state.
This is just more proof of what I've said many times. The
liberal-tarians are nothing but skunk democrats that are trying to fool people into thinking they are something other than rats. They are of course merely rats that don't have the stomach to admit what they are.
This is why I have to laugh when GOPers cry about "losing" elections by close margins that we "should have won" if the liberal-tarian votes where added to our column. Bull shiite!
Those votes came FROM the rats NOT from us.
I expect a repeat of 2000, where some House rats bloviate about challenging the electoral counts in a few states (Kucinich, maybe?), and nobody in the Senate picks up on it.
The gain is the image that our electoral process is horribly broken and corrupt and needs immediate "reform".
That is why I would never vote for the Losertarian Party.. I thought about it but after this election when they seemed more determined to help Kerry win, I'm not going to vote for that party ever..
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