Ohio - The Recount of 2004

[Nbadan]

This afternoon, I spoke with Blair Bobier, the attorney/spokesman for David Cobb, the Green Party's 2004 candidate for President. Bobier confirms that the press release floating on the net is legitimate. The Green Party is combining forces with the Libertarian Party to seek a statewide election recount in Ohio.

Unlike Florida in 2000, Ohio's recount rules are straightforward and specific. Once the Ohio vote is certified, which I'm told could happen as early as next week, the Green/Libertarian group will have five days to file a formal application for statewide recount. In addition, the group must then deposit $10 for every precinct to be recounted.

Based on the number of precincts in Ohio, a statewide recount will cost the Green/Libertarian group about $110,000. However, the group expects to raise that money "rather easily" within the next few days.

Once the recount application has been filed, the recount itself must begin within 10 days. So, expect to see the formal recount kick-off in early December.

Again, the procedures in Ohio are quite clear: The recount must be conducted by teams having equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans; records must be available for visual inspection by witnesses; ballots must be handled only by members of the board; witnesses may observe the inspection the ballots; punch card ballots must be inspected for hanging chads ("if a chad is attached by three or four corners, a vote shall not be counted for that particular candidate.") and etc. The lengthy list of rules and procedures are available on the Ohio Secretary of State's Web site.

Whether you agree with a recount or not... the rules are the rules. And even a candidate like David Cobb, who received a total of 24 votes in Ohio, is en led to a recount. So, let us all hope the process in the Buckeye state will be orderly, calm, and litigation free.

Pre-recount, here is where the Ohio vote total stands:

President Bush (Republican Party) 2,796,147
John Kerry (Democratic Party) 2,659,664
Badnarik (Libertarian) 14,331
Peroutka (Cons utional) 11,614

My friend and colleague Keith Olbermann has been all over this story.

On Friday night, "Hardball with Chris Matthews" (7 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET) will be jumping into the fray. You won't want to miss that. Plus, this weekend here on Hardblogger, I'll be posting some amazing national election numbers and demographic trends that may shock you. I've run some of the numbers past a few MSNBC political analysts, and everybody is calling it "a big deal."


David Shuster, MSNBC

No matter how many holes the Republicans try to plug on the subject of voter fraud in the 2004 Presiential election, the bigger it grows. This is a story with legs that won't be summered to death by their inattention..

Speaking of which, the locally syndicated right-wing radio hosts must have gotten the memo that talking about voter fraud is taboo - their silence is deafening.

[Drachen]

this is off topic, but conan o'brien introduced a new character for his show for sweeps week. He said "If the election has taught us anything, its that we need to appeal more to the moral values of the red states, so here is our new character: Gun-toting, NASCAR driving Jesus"

I cracked up and thought I would share.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Great, it's not even Kerry trying to hijack it, it's a sorry ass Green Party candidate.

Or maybe Michael Moore and John Kerry made a few campaign donations...