Bush retains small lead
in Fla. results
Florida certifies
votes; U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments on inclusion of state's manual
recounts
By Jim Parsons
Daily Cougar Staff
Florida's secretary of state certified
a vote count Sunday giving Texas Gov. George W. Bush a victory -- but by
no means a conclusive one -- in the state's presidential election.
Katherine Harris announced shortly before
6:30 p.m. Sunday that Bush won Florida by 537 votes after refusing a request
from canvassers in Florida's Palm Beach County to extend the Sunday evening
certification deadline to allow them time to finish their manual recount
of ballots cast Nov. 7.
Palm Beach submitted an incomplete tally
to meet the 5 p.m. EST deadline, but finished counting its ballots two
hours later. Harris apparently did not consider the late results in the
final certification.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democratic vice
presidential candidate, made a statement shortly after Harris' announcement
denouncing the certification as inaccurate and incomplete.
"Because of our belief in the importance
of these fundamental principles, Vice President Gore and I have no choice
but to contest these actions as provided for under Florida law," Lieberman
said from the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington.
The Gore team is set to dispute hand recounts
in at least three Florida counties: Palm Beach; Nassau, which decided to
use Election Day results rather than those from a machine recount, giving
Bush an additional 52 votes; and Miami-Dade, which called off its manual
recount Saturday.
Officials in Miami-Dade said they would
not be able to meet the Sunday deadline, but Democrats alleged the recount
was halted under pressure from Republican protesters.
Gore's lawyers criticized the decision
and asked the Florida Supreme Court to force the county to restart its
hand count, but the court refused.
In a statement over the weekend, Democratic
vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman called the Republican protests
"a disservice to our democracy."
Meanwhile, Republicans vehemently disputed
the tactics of trying to determine voter intent on ballots where tabulating
machines recorded no presidential vote in Palm Beach and Broward counties.
In Broward County, the all-Democratic canvassing
board used indentations or dimples on ballots and votes in other races
to determine how presidential votes should be cast. Broward's manual recount,
completed late Saturday, gave Gore 567 additional votes and will not be
contested by Democrats.
In Palm Beach County, board members agreed
not to consider ballots with clear votes in other races, but not for president
-- a standard Democrats decried as too stringent.
Meanwhile, five counties face lawsuits
from the Bush side seeking to force them to consider disqualified military
and overseas ballots. More than 40 percent of the state's overseas ballots
were reportedly disqualified on what Republicans claim were incorrect technicalities.
Both candidates' teams will also file briefs
Tuesday with the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments Friday
regarding whether to include the manual recounts in the official statewide
tally. It is the first time the high court has intervened in a presidential
election.
Bush's lawyers said the Florida Supreme
Court seized the state Legislature's authority by allowing the recounts
to continue; Gore's team claims the court correctly interpreted state election
law.
The Supreme Court could make a decision
on the matter or refer the case back to Florida courts.
Based on the number of unresolved issues
surrounding the election, neither side is set to concede anytime soon.
"The contest doesn't start until Monday
morning," Gore lawyer David Boies told reporters Sunday.
Florida's 25 electoral votes, which will
decide the winner of the election, must be certified by Dec. 12. The Electoral
College will vote for president Dec. 18 with or without Florida.
