Channel 6 News - New
Orleans
December 13, 2004
County
Chair Finds That Own Ballot Was Rejected Washington
Hand Recount Continues
County
Chair Finds That Own Ballot Was Rejected
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Washington Hand Recount Continues
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SEATTLE -- To
King County Council Chairman Larry Phillips, the question of whether to
reconsider rejected ballots in the election for Washington governor is more than
academic.
Phillips was checking the names of constituents whose votes had been
rejected and discovered his own name on the list.
Phillips says he thought he did everything right when he voted. "If it
can happen to the King County Council chairman, it can happen to anyone
else," he said. Officials say Phillips' absentee ballot apparently was
yanked for lack of a signature on file with the county elections office.
Rejected ballots could loom large in the manual recount of ballots. An
initial tally showed republican Dino Rossi defeating democrat Christine Gregoire
by 261 votes, and a machine recount cut his margin of victory to 42 votes.
The state Supreme Court is hearing a Democratic Party move to order that
rejected ballots be reconsidered by county canvassing boards. Republicans are
resisting the move, which state election officials say could delay the recount
into next year.
Without reconsideration of rejected ballots, officials have said the hand
recount should be done by Christmas
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