Kerry Campaign Keeping Eye on Ohio Cases

[tuvor]

I'm posting this on LBN since this is the first time I've seen this on my mainstream news sources. In this case, it's Yahoo's most viewed news story right now. (AP News)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - John Kerry (news - web sites)'s campaign has joined a lawsuit by third-party presidential candidates seeking a recount in Ohio. A lawyer for the campaign said Thursday the campaign does not question the Democrat's loss but wants any counting to take place statewide.

Kerry's campaign this week joined the suit filed by Green and Libertarian party candidates seeking a recount of the vote in Delaware County. A judge in that county issued a restraining order blocking that request, but the order expired Thursday. A hearing is set in federal court in Columbus on Friday on the recount request.

"The Kerry-Edwards campaign felt it had to intervene," said Daniel Hoffheimer, a Cincinnati lawyer who represents the campaign in Ohio. "We did not want a recount to go forward if it only was 87 (of Ohio's 88) counties."

The two minor parties also have asked for a statewide recount, but a judge ruled that cannot begin until Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell certifies the vote, likely on Monday. The parties say they have raised the $113,600 fee the state requires to conduct the recount.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=1&u=/ap/ohio_vote

[Timebound]

1. O_O KICK KICK KICK KICK

ALL OF YOU WITH YAHOO ACCOUNTS GO VOTE ON THE STORY NOW TO KEEP IT ON THE FRONT PAGE!!!!!!!!!!

:kick:

[Lucky Luciano]

2. I wonder if that $15M that Kerry kept from the end of the election

was earmarked for this since they kenw that there would be good chances for fraud???

[Brundle_Fly]

3. You think?

been saying that since they found out about it. (15bill is almost enough)

[Lucky Luciano]

4. I would like to hope so...

I don't think they were just planning on rolling over that easily.

[tuvor]

5. Kickin! Good night!

Please make sure this is still near the top in about six hours!

Cheers!

:kick:

[Timebound]

6. kick

[Celeborn Skywalker]

7. kick

[Lucky Luciano]

8. AAAAAh....AAAAAAAH....AAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

sorry...Kezumteit to myself followed by a swift kick of this thread.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Hate to say it, but I think it's a bit late...

Kerry needed to be active from 11/3 on, fighting to prevent provisional ballots from being thrown out. As it was, Blackwell got a free hand to keep the number of "valid" provisionals as low as possible.

The impact of this? In the early days following the election, it was speculated that the test would be whether Bush's lead dropped from the initial 136,000 to around 40,000 with the provisional ballot count. If it got that low, I understand, there was a good chance that the 92,000 "spoiled" ballots (whose contents could be read in a hand count) might tip the balance. But, after Mr. Blackwell worked his magic, the provisional count ended with Bush still up by around 120,000 votes, far more than any recount could likely overturn.

Sorry, but it's over as of now. Whether it would have been different had Kerry activists been watching every provisional ballot like a hawk is open to question. The fact that they didn't do so, however, is undeniable.

:-(

[Moderator]

10. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1034449