http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...ington_governor
Democrat Declared Wash. Governor-Elect
By David Ammons / Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. - After three vote tallies and nearly two nerve-racking months of waiting, Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's governor-elect on Thursday. But her Republican rival did not concede and wants a new election.
"Less than two weeks from today I will take the oath of office as your next governor of the great state of Washington," an ebullient Gregoire told supporters at a Capitol news conference.
The Republican candidate, Dino Rossi, said he was exploring whether to contest the election in the courts or in the Legislature.
Rossi and the state GOP said they have discovered a discrepancy of more than 3,500 votes in strongly Democratic King County, the state's largest, possibly pointing to fraud or mistakes that could have swung the ultra-close election.
"I think we need to examine what's right and what's wrong and let's expose it and see if we can correct it," he said at a news conference from his campaign headquarters.
Gregoire congratulated Rossi for running a strong campaign, and said it was up to him to decide when and where to concede. But she ruled out a brand new election.
"Do-overs" only occur in golf, and only during practice, she said. "This is not golf and this is not practice."
Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, certified Gregoire, the three-term attorney general, as the winner of the closest governor's race in state history. She won a statewide hand recount by a scant 129 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast.
Rossi won both of the earlier counts — the initial tally following the election and a statewide machine recount.
While there were mistakes, Reed told a news conference, "at this time there is nothing that appears fraudulent."
"I saw serious mistakes being made. I saw them being corrected," Reed said. "That's part of the process. The system itself has worked well."
Rossi, a former state legislative leader and real-estate investor, said the election was hopelessly flawed and that the Legislature should authorize a new election.
While noting that he could contest the election, Rossi said a legal challenge could drag on for months. The better way to clear up the mess, he said, would be to ask lawmakers to pass a bill calling for a special election as soon as the state Legislature convenes in early January for the 2005 session.
After the election, more than 700 ballots surfaced in King County, which includes Seattle. The additional votes allowed Gregoire to stretch her lead from just 10 votes in the hand recount to her triple-digit advantage. A legal challenge would have to be filed by Jan. 22, 10 days after Gregoire's scheduled inauguration.
Full Version: Democrat Declared Wash. Governor-Elect
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Archive
QUOTE(PaineInTheArse @ Dec 30 2004, 08:54 PM)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...ington_governor
Democrat Declared Wash. Governor-Elect
By David Ammons / Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. - After three vote tallies and nearly two nerve-racking months of waiting, Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's governor-elect on Thursday. But her Republican rival did not concede and wants a new election.
"Less than two weeks from today I will take the oath of office as your next governor of the great state of Washington," an ebullient Gregoire told supporters at a Capitol news conference.
The Republican candidate, Dino Rossi, said he was exploring whether to contest the election in the courts or in the Legislature.
Rossi and the state GOP said they have discovered a discrepancy of more than 3,500 votes in strongly Democratic King County, the state's largest, possibly pointing to fraud or mistakes that could have swung the ultra-close election.
"I think we need to examine what's right and what's wrong and let's expose it and see if we can correct it," he said at a news conference from his campaign headquarters.
Gregoire congratulated Rossi for running a strong campaign, and said it was up to him to decide when and where to concede. But she ruled out a brand new election.
"Do-overs" only occur in golf, and only during practice, she said. "This is not golf and this is not practice."
Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, certified Gregoire, the three-term attorney general, as the winner of the closest governor's race in state history. She won a statewide hand recount by a scant 129 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast.
Rossi won both of the earlier counts — the initial tally following the election and a statewide machine recount.
While there were mistakes, Reed told a news conference, "at this time there is nothing that appears fraudulent."
"I saw serious mistakes being made. I saw them being corrected," Reed said. "That's part of the process. The system itself has worked well."
Rossi, a former state legislative leader and real-estate investor, said the election was hopelessly flawed and that the Legislature should authorize a new election.
While noting that he could contest the election, Rossi said a legal challenge could drag on for months. The better way to clear up the mess, he said, would be to ask lawmakers to pass a bill calling for a special election as soon as the state Legislature convenes in early January for the 2005 session.
After the election, more than 700 ballots surfaced in King County, which includes Seattle. The additional votes allowed Gregoire to stretch her lead from just 10 votes in the hand recount to her triple-digit advantage. A legal challenge would have to be filed by Jan. 22, 10 days after Gregoire's scheduled inauguration.
Democrat Declared Wash. Governor-Elect
By David Ammons / Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. - After three vote tallies and nearly two nerve-racking months of waiting, Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's governor-elect on Thursday. But her Republican rival did not concede and wants a new election.
"Less than two weeks from today I will take the oath of office as your next governor of the great state of Washington," an ebullient Gregoire told supporters at a Capitol news conference.
The Republican candidate, Dino Rossi, said he was exploring whether to contest the election in the courts or in the Legislature.
Rossi and the state GOP said they have discovered a discrepancy of more than 3,500 votes in strongly Democratic King County, the state's largest, possibly pointing to fraud or mistakes that could have swung the ultra-close election.
"I think we need to examine what's right and what's wrong and let's expose it and see if we can correct it," he said at a news conference from his campaign headquarters.
Gregoire congratulated Rossi for running a strong campaign, and said it was up to him to decide when and where to concede. But she ruled out a brand new election.
"Do-overs" only occur in golf, and only during practice, she said. "This is not golf and this is not practice."
Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, certified Gregoire, the three-term attorney general, as the winner of the closest governor's race in state history. She won a statewide hand recount by a scant 129 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast.
Rossi won both of the earlier counts — the initial tally following the election and a statewide machine recount.
While there were mistakes, Reed told a news conference, "at this time there is nothing that appears fraudulent."
"I saw serious mistakes being made. I saw them being corrected," Reed said. "That's part of the process. The system itself has worked well."
Rossi, a former state legislative leader and real-estate investor, said the election was hopelessly flawed and that the Legislature should authorize a new election.
While noting that he could contest the election, Rossi said a legal challenge could drag on for months. The better way to clear up the mess, he said, would be to ask lawmakers to pass a bill calling for a special election as soon as the state Legislature convenes in early January for the 2005 session.
After the election, more than 700 ballots surfaced in King County, which includes Seattle. The additional votes allowed Gregoire to stretch her lead from just 10 votes in the hand recount to her triple-digit advantage. A legal challenge would have to be filed by Jan. 22, 10 days after Gregoire's scheduled inauguration.
Precedent . What is the big picture? For what does this set precedent ? Do we want this uncontested win via hand recount or do we want fair and substainiated tabualed wins, even if we must audit e vote ?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/s...p-4168653c.html
QUOTE
Sam Reed: Behind the sound bite
KENNETH P. VOGEL; The News Tribune
Last updated: January 1st, 2005 02:40 AM
Sam Reed is no Katherine Harris.
Harris, you’ll recall, was Florida’s secretary of state in 2000. She administered the controversial recount there that helped George Bush win the presidency, and in the process became a folk hero of sorts for Republicans and the target of scorn for Democrats.
Fast forward four years. Reed, Washington’s Republican secretary of state, found himself at the helm of a similarly charged recount – of the closest gubernatorial contest in modern U.S. political history.
Like Harris, Reed has come under heavy fire. But unlike Harris, who was co-chairwoman of Bush’s campaign while she was Florida’s top elections official, few have accused Reed of partisanship.
If anything, he’s earned more criticism within his own party. As Republicans consider challenging Democrat Christine Gregoire’s 129-vote victory in the state’s unprecedented hand recount, some partisans accuse Reed of undercutting Dino Rossi’s bid to become Washington’s first Republican governor since 1980.
“It’s really strained a few friendships, including some of the people who were some of my biggest supporters initially,” Reed told The News Tribune after certifying Gregoire’s victory in the hand recount Thursday.
The hand count reversed the results of two prior counts won by Rossi and culminated a tumultuous eight-week post-Election Day struggle that saw several lead changes and court cases, with Reed’s office weighing in on the side of Republicans once and Democrats once.
Both sides have taken turns questioning his authority, integrity and competence, depending on who happened to be trailing. But through it all, he remained a calm and apolitical voice amid increasingly shrill partisan rhetoric.
Some Republicans urged him to follow Harris’ lead, said Reed, a soft-spoken 63-year-old grandfather who lives in Olympia. “But in the state of Washington, we don’t play politics that way,” he said. “They feel like I’ve let them down. But I felt that I had to play it very straight. I fought the Democrats when I thought they were wrong and I fought the Republicans when I thought they were wrong.”
KENNETH P. VOGEL; The News Tribune
Last updated: January 1st, 2005 02:40 AM
Sam Reed is no Katherine Harris.
Harris, you’ll recall, was Florida’s secretary of state in 2000. She administered the controversial recount there that helped George Bush win the presidency, and in the process became a folk hero of sorts for Republicans and the target of scorn for Democrats.
Fast forward four years. Reed, Washington’s Republican secretary of state, found himself at the helm of a similarly charged recount – of the closest gubernatorial contest in modern U.S. political history.
Like Harris, Reed has come under heavy fire. But unlike Harris, who was co-chairwoman of Bush’s campaign while she was Florida’s top elections official, few have accused Reed of partisanship.
If anything, he’s earned more criticism within his own party. As Republicans consider challenging Democrat Christine Gregoire’s 129-vote victory in the state’s unprecedented hand recount, some partisans accuse Reed of undercutting Dino Rossi’s bid to become Washington’s first Republican governor since 1980.
“It’s really strained a few friendships, including some of the people who were some of my biggest supporters initially,” Reed told The News Tribune after certifying Gregoire’s victory in the hand recount Thursday.
The hand count reversed the results of two prior counts won by Rossi and culminated a tumultuous eight-week post-Election Day struggle that saw several lead changes and court cases, with Reed’s office weighing in on the side of Republicans once and Democrats once.
Both sides have taken turns questioning his authority, integrity and competence, depending on who happened to be trailing. But through it all, he remained a calm and apolitical voice amid increasingly shrill partisan rhetoric.
Some Republicans urged him to follow Harris’ lead, said Reed, a soft-spoken 63-year-old grandfather who lives in Olympia. “But in the state of Washington, we don’t play politics that way,” he said. “They feel like I’ve let them down. But I felt that I had to play it very straight. I fought the Democrats when I thought they were wrong and I fought the Republicans when I thought they were wrong.”
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