Here we go again: Cobb and Badnarik want another OH recount

[2952-0-0]

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Two third-party presidential candidates asked a federal court Thursday to force a second recount of the Ohio vote, alleging county election boards altered votes and didn't follow proper procedures in the recount that ended this week.


Lawyers for Green Party candidate David Cobb and the Libertarian Party's Michael Badnarik made their request in federal court in Columbus.


The two candidates, who received less than 0.3 percent of the Ohio vote, paid $113,600 for a statewide recount after the vote was certified earlier this month by the secretary of state. They have said they don't expect to change the election results, but want to make sure that every vote is proply counted.


Ohio and its 20 electoral votes tipped the race to President Bush (news - web sites) when Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) conceded the morning after the Nov. 2 election.


Counties finished the recount Tuesday. Bush won the state by 118,457 votes over Kerry, according to unofficial results provided to The Associated Press by the 88 counties.


"We've documented in this filing how this recount was not conducted in accordance with uniform standards throughout Ohio" as required by the U.S. Constitution, said John Bonifaz, a lawyer from the National Voting Right Institute representing the candidates.


Ohio law requires an elections board to manually recount a randomly selected 3 percent of ballots. If the totals match certified results for those precincts, all the county's votes are then machine-counted. If the hand count is off, a county must manually recount all its ballots.


The filing, part of an ongoing lawsuit originally brought by a county board of elections to stop the recount, alleges counties did not randomly select precincts for the manual recount and some workers altered votes to prevent a full hand count.


Bonifaz said the filing is based on the experiences of Green Party representatives who observed the recount.


Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, called the contentions "baseless accusations."


"The ballots were counted in Ohio, they were counted again, they were recounted. The election is over," LoParo said.

[Gabu]

(censored)

[J. J.]

Now it is time to drop this.  The court should rule NO.

[agcatter]

This recount the recount the recount ..... has long ago passed the point of comedy.

[DanimalBr]

Jeez, what a bunch of sore losing crybabies.  Waaaahhhhhh Waaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!   I didn't get the result I wanted so I want to keep counting and counting until Kerry wins Ohio.   Thank you so much Al Gore for opening up this can of worms four years ago.  This is just asinine.   These people could give a crap about counting every vote, they just want to get the results they want, and they don't care who picks up the bill. 

Bush has won!  Kerry has lost!  The innauguration is in 20 days.  Get over it, wackos!!

[Andrew]

Don't blame the Greens or the Libertarians or the Democrats; blame the county election boards.

The counties did not follow Ohio law in conducting their recounts; there really is no doubt of this.  If the court rules that they have to do it again, it's their own damned fault.

If the court rules that they don't have to do it again, then the laws of Ohio aren't worth the paper they are printed on.

[Will F.D. People]

According the Green Party link on the recount, they were happy with the way some counties handled the recount and not happy with the way some others did.

[skybridge]

It doesn't matter. Kerry GAVE UP election night. As disappointed as I am over Bush's reelection I'm almost more disappointed in Kerry.

[agcatter]

All electoral votes are to be counted officially in Congress on the 6th of January.  Rep. Conyers has sent a letter to all Senate Democrats stating that members of the House intend to challenge the Ohio electors.  In order for that challenge to be debated and voted on, the House members must get one Democratic Senator to join their challenge.

OK, which Dem Senator is going to join Kooksville and step up?   Even Democrats aren't that suicidal.  Or are they.  Come on Dems.  Uncle Teddy, Barbara Boxer, Patti Murray.........one of you join Bagdad Jim and company and let's put on a show for the folks.  Hell, I'll sign a petition if it will help.  Let's get the entertainment started.  Let the meltdown continue.

[A18]

Attempts by the far left to steal this election are getting old.

It doesn't matter if Democrats challenge. We have comfortable majorities in both chambers of Congress.

[Richard]

Badnarik is turning into a real jerk.  I hope people don't vote for him again, or his party, until he steps down.

Cobb has a mental disorder anyways, so nothing new there.

[agcatter]

Actually, I enjoy the fact that the wingnuts keep dragging this out - just serves to further show how they've all descended into kooksville.

[Alcon]

Badnarik is a real hypocrite here.

[agcatter]

I agree.

[A18]

Badnarik is a real hypocrite here.

How come? Sure, he's being stupid, but what's hypocritical about it?

[Alcon]

Badnarik is a real hypocrite here.

How come? Sure, he's being stupid, but what's hypocritical about it?

He's a Libertarian. One would think that this would be the sort of thing he'd rail against, not support. This is costing Ohio taxpayers tons of money.

[A18]

Badnarik is a real hypocrite here.

How come? Sure, he's being stupid, but what's hypocritical about it?

He's a Libertarian. One would think that this would be the sort of thing he'd rail against, not support. This is costing Ohio taxpayers tons of money.

Oh, I didn't think of that. Yes, that is ridiculous.

[Gabu]

It doesn't matter. Kerry GAVE UP election night. As disappointed as I am over Bush's reelection I'm almost more disappointed in Kerry.

118,000 votes is not exactly a hopeful margin to lose by.  Kerry did the right thing.

[Silent Hunter]

Just give up already, Badnarik and Cobb.

[John Dibble]

Sigh....he was such a good candidate too.

[WalterMitty]

Sigh....he was such a good candidate too.

he was?

i always got the impression by looking at him that he spent a few too many hours in the ol' tanning bed.

what is the deal with the neil boortz guy?  i hear he wants to run for presidnet as a libertarian.

[Democratic Hawk]

I would be another waste of time and effort - let alone money!

Dave

[JohnFKennedy]

Are they hoping to find a few more million votes for them so they win Ohio or something?

[Andrew]

They are hoping that the courts will force the counties to actually follow Ohio law in conducting the recount.

[agcatter]

Yeah, a clean election like - Washington.