Gregoire still has chance,recount history suggests (Clark Co Wash Article)

[pbartch]

http://www.columbian.com/11202004/front_pa/213719.html

Gregoire still has chance, recount history suggests

Saturday, November 20, 2004
By DON JENKINS, Columbian staff writer

Washington's history with recounts suggests that Democrat Christine Gregoire has at least a slim chance to snatch the governor's mansion from Republican Dino Rossi.

Most counties, including Clark County, will conduct a mandatory recount by machine Monday. Some counties start counting today. A handful of small counties are scheduled to tabulate ballots Tuesday.

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Clark County is one of 14 counties that use punch-card voting, a system being phased out in of favor of chad-free ballots in which voters fill in ovals to mark their choices.

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A machine tabulation could just be the first recount. The losing party can demand a manual recount. Washington has never had a hand recount in a statewide race.

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Clark County elections officials plan to start tabulating the county's 172,265 ballots at 9 a.m. Monday and hope to finish at approximately 5 p.m. The secretary of state posts election results on the Internet at vote.wa.gov.

What's next: The loser could demand a hand recount.

[goclark]

1. All close elections win Repub wins should demand recount!

[glitch]

2. I want a hand recount - I want these machine counts discredited thoroughly

Maybe if a big discrepancy is shown between the machine and hand counts Kerry will have more confidence in the probability of fraWd.

[pbartch]

3. More about the WA State Govenors race

http://www.columbian.com/11192004/clark_co/213572.html

Now, with the first count complete, here are some numbers worth noting:

261 -- The difference between Rossi's winning total and Gregoire's, after the initial count but before the recount.

627,022 -- The number of registered voters statewide who either did not vote or whose ballots were disqualified for cause.

35,291 -- The number of registered Clark County voters (out of 207,556) who did not vote or whose ballots were disqualified.

0.0093 -- The percentage difference between Rossi's total (48.8759 percent of all votes cast) and Gregoire's total (48.8666 percent). Libertarian Ruth Bennett had 2.2576 percent.

7 -- The average number of additional votes in each of the 39 counties that Gregoire needed to win.

8 -- The number of counties that favored Gregoire (Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Pacific, San Juan, Thurston, Whatcom).

33 -- The number of additional Gregoire votes in each of those 8 counties needed for her to win if there had been no change in the other 31 counties.

6,686 -- The number of precincts in the state. (Clark County has 180.)

[RedEagle]

4. Time for a hand count

Interesting data.

King County should be hand counted, they used uncertified, untested software with modem-in capability.

Whatcom is interesting as except for Bellingham, tends to go VERY GOP. So Gregoire winning there and "favored" is a big deal.

No wonder Sam Reed says that a recount has never overturned an election in Washington- if the state has never had a hand recount.

Plus, those machines will all be reprogrammed to count only the one race. Another fly in the ointment.