Florida recounts to end soon

by Amanda Iacone
THE POST

Despite efforts by the Bush campaign, Florida poll workers will continue recounting votes because of a decision passed down from a Florida federal judge yesterday.

Donald Middlebrooks, the federal judge appointed by President Clinton, decided not to stop the recounts. Campaign lawyers for George W. Bush yesterday requested to halt the recounts in Florida - a state which holds 25 electoral votes and will help determine who will be the next president. And Bush is now calling for recounts in other states such as New Mexico and Iowa.

In a separate case, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris ruled against a request by Florida Democrats to extend today's 5 p.m. recount deadline. The secretary of state said no votes will be counted after the deadline except overseas absentee ballots, which have a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday. Poll workers in Palm Beach County, one of the several counties manually recounting, was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. today.

Secretary Harris met yesterday with two of Vice President Al Gore's top advisors - former Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Campaign Chairman William Daley -to discuss extending today's deadline.

Harris said Florida law gives her leeway to certify ballots in natural disasters but not a situation like Florida's.

"A close election, regardless of the identity of the candidate, is not such a circumstance,'' she said.

Ohio University political science professor Michael Burton said he is surprised Republicans do not want a recount because the election will not be decided until overseas absentee ballots are certified.

"In fact, it's astonishing that the Bush campaign objects to the recounts," said Burton, a former Democratic White House staff advisor.

Burton said he thinks people need to be patient while waiting for the returns. No harm comes from recounting ballots by hand, he said.

Florida ballots were published in newspapers and distributed to voters before Election Day. Howard Stevens, vice-chairman for the Athens County Republican Party, said he is concerned about how many sample ballots were sent out in Florida. Yet there were not many complaints, Stevens said.

"It seems a little strange for me," he said. "Apparently people don't pay attention to sample ballots."

Stevens, who is also a member of the Athens County Board of Elections, said Athens poll workers did not receive any complaints from voters.

"The punch card system seems to work pretty well," he said.

Athens County uses punch card ballots purchased from a printing company in Dayton, said Kathy Kyle director of Athens County Board of Elections. Athens has used Dayton Legal Blank, Inc. since 1978.

It would be very expensive to change systems, she said.

"(The system) may be outdated," Kyle said. "I don't think our county could afford a new system."

Voters in several Florida counties also use punch cards. Some Florida voters expressed confusion about the order of candidates on their ballots. Groups started protests Wednesday claiming the ballots were illegal because a candidate's name was listed second and its corresponding punch hole was third.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report