Apparently there are over 1000 uncounted ballots in King County

[EQPlayer]

The link mentions 1,627 ballots that were probably not counted in either the original count or the machine recount. With that many, it's hard to imagine Gregoire not picking up the 50 she needs to win, regardless of the outcome of the 735 that were discarded improperly.

I hope the Washington Supreme Court makes the decision to count the 735 regardless -- it would send a TERRIBLE message to say that county election worker screw-ups are a reason for disenfranchisement.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002125

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. If you read the Times you also saw this article

Reed says county has right to fix error, tally 735 ballots

By David Postman

Seattle Times chief political reporter


OLYMPIA — If the state Supreme Court stops King County from counting 735 disputed ballots in the governor's race, it will invalidate recount totals in other counties, according to court papers filed yesterday by the Secretary of State's Office.

Attorneys for Secretary of State Sam Reed say counties across the state made errors that were corrected by canvassing boards, which resulted in new votes being counted.

Attorney Thomas Ahearne argues that if the court now rules that King County can't correct errors during a recount, other counties will have to comb through results in both the completed machine recount and the hand recount to pick out any votes that they had added when correcting errors. The hand recount has been completed in all but King County.

Reed maintains that King County has the same right as every other county to correct errors during the recount. Rulings on the validity of ballots are made by local canvassing boards, three-person panels in each of 39 counties. If the court rules that King County can't count the 735 disputed ballots, Reed says, that means no county should have been able to reconsider ballots after the initial count.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002125837_recount21m.html

[EQPlayer]

2. Saw that article as well

Is Reed a Republican or a Democrat? And it sounds like if the Washington Supreme Court rules against King County, the whole thing becomes an unmitigated disaster.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Reed is a Republican

[NotNInch]

6. Sam Reed is a Popular Well-Respected Republican . . .

He won his re-election this year by a landslide.

Sam is calling it fairly as he sees it. After all, if King County can't count the overlooked/found ballots, then the other counties that added found ballots into the hand recount will have to also retract those votes.

Sam is my kinda Republican, honest and fair to all sides. Still in all it will not be his decision, but the courts.

[Doctor O]

3. According to the court decisions, if these 1627 votes were not counted

in the original election, these votes can not be counted. since they were never counted to begin with.

[EQPlayer]

8. Not sure these weren't "counted"

It looks like they were "counted", but just didn't register a vote in the machine count, which is why they're hand reviewing them. They're not new ballots, just "no votes." If these ballots aren't considered, then how did any counties change their totals?

[Gothmog]

4. Count evey vote

daily kos seemes to think that the Washington supreme court will ruled to count the ballots.

[McCamy Taylor]

7. is Supreme Court GOP majority? If so, the votes will remain uncounted...

....not counting votes is like a Ten Commandment of Republicans

[GetTheRightVote]

9. Every vote should be counted, every voter right to demand it

in this country and this Democracy which ever party wins,
atleast win it fairly, Rev. Jackson said it best, it is not the losing or winning, it is the stealing and cheating that drives us mad.

[emcguffie]

10. typical republican "logic"

What I don't understand is why they get away with it, when it's so obvious. What should have been legal votes can't be counted because they weren't counted, erroneously, the first time?

Who would think that makes sense?

[EQPlayer]

11. Why they get away with it

They scream VERY loudly that the "votes have been counted" and that the Democrats are trying to count illegal votes, and the Democrats don't counter effectively. If I had heard "The Democrats want to count and count until the outcome changes" one more time in 2000, I would have killed someone. People are stupid and uneducated, and they don't understand why machines may not count a vote appropriately that a human would, so they believe the crap the Repukes spit out. It's really sad, but maybe our country has always been that way, and it's only become obvious with the advent of technology like the internet.