WA Gov. just said that machine recounts are more accurate than

[kuozzman]

hand recounts! WTF??

I just saw this on CNN. He just officially got named gov. of Washington after a machine recount. He won by 42 votes out of I think 2.5Million votes. Now they say it is likely that Dems will ask for a hand recount. So he said that would be bad for the state and that machine counts are more accurate than hand recounts.

[BurtWorm]

1. That was their story in 2000 and they're sticking with it.

Regardless. The bastids!

[LSparkle]

2. Yep, that's the BIG difference between Rs and Ds

Ds like PEOPLE; Rs prefer MACHINES ...

[Quill Pen]

10. Democrats are always about...

...including more votes; 'Pugs are always fighting to narrow the vote.

[LisaM]

3. He's not the governor yet!

They have been repeating this lie (about machine counts being more accurate) all over the airwaves and most of the broadcasters are letting them. The only one I have heard dispute it is Erin Hart.

[elehhhhna]

5. the damn law allows for hand recounts. he's a morAn.

[w4rma]

6. I think the law not only allows for them but requires them when the race

is this close, unless the candidate who is behind after the machine count parse gives up early.

[Pirate Smile]

4. I saw it too. He called for her to concede and said everybody

wants her to for the good of the state.

Why do they let him come on without giving the other side's position also? Pathetic.

[knowbody0]

7. we will all be laughing

after the count.

[cmf]

8. I hate, hate, hate him

Between Bush and Rossi, it's going to be a long 4 years. I will be lucky if I don't have a stroke. If I even have any healthcare coverage at the end of it.

It freaking pisses me off how smug the Repugs are being. Saying that 42 votes is a "decisive" win. My bloody ass, it is. That about 1 vote per county! They would be screaming bloody murder if Gregoire had won with that margin.

The real problem is that the WA Dem Party doesn't have enough money to pay for the recount. They have to have the money upfront. If the tally changes and the results reverse, then the state picks up the tab. But to request the recount, they have to put up the money. Unfortunately, they didn't budget for this. :grr: So now, they have to try to raise $700,000.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. Optical scan machine recounts are more accurate

than hand recounts is what my brother claims too, and my reply to him is that you almost always find more votes by hand that for whatever reason are unreadable by the machines but discernible by humans.

Of course bro's reply is that leaves counting open to human error.
To which I reply, if you got a bunch of people there watching, they can doable check each other for mistakes.

In this Washington case the Republican is trying to scare away the Democrat because he also knows that more valid ballots will usually be found and they could change the outcome. Duh!

Fortunately, WA state law is clear on the issue, and instead of whining and trying to scare everyone, this guy should say

"whatever. If she wants a hand recount, that's her right."

He's trying to complain about the rules in the middle of the game.
Bad form.

They should install video cameras and stream feeds from every county so folks could watch the recount from home.