Washington State GOP: It's Not Over Yet

After King County's sleazy actions, finding extra compromised "ballots" nine times over the course of three counts, Christine Gregoire has finally been able to come out on top by 130 votes. Media coverage went from bad to worse, as they are declaring her the "winner" -- something they were never willing to do for Dino Rossi as he led the Governor's race ballot counting for eight straight weeks and even after being declared Governor-Elect.

Thankfully the state GOP is not going to back down. Here is a statement outlining what is next (followed by a Free Republic discussion on the issue if you click on the link above):

This count is not over

This battle is not over

After King County closes today, Rossi is behind 130 votes

Republicans statewide turn to County Auditors to reconsider legitimate Rossi votes

Statement on the status of the Governor’s race

This count is not over. This battle is not over.

Throughout this process we have opposed efforts to change the rules. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court did just that yesterday so we are aggressively fighting under those new rules. Today, in counties across the state, Republicans formally requested County Auditors to reconvene canvassing boards in order to reconsider legitimate votes cast for Dino Rossi that were erroneously rejected. These voters are no different from voters in King County whose votes were counted today, and recanvassing is allowed under Supreme Court’s recent decision until the Secretary of State finally certifies the election.

In fact, one county, Thurston, has already reopened their process after first certifying their results. Several counties have either agreed to hold new canvassing board meetings or are seriously considering doing so. This activity will continue, and we ask the Secretary of State to delay final certification until we know every legitimate vote has been counted.

We believe Dino Rossi is the legitimate Governor-elect of the State of Washington and we will continue fighting to protect his election.

Question & Answer on the Statewide Recount

Why now do Republicans cry “count every vote”?

Republicans have consistently said the rules for the election should not be changed, and that all votes should be counted and recounted under the rules in place before election day. Against Republican opposition, the rules have been changed several times – by a King County Judge, by the Secretary of State, by the King County canvassing board, and now by the state Supreme Court.

We still feel that a consistent, fair set of rules is the most important thing in an election process. However, we no longer have such rules, so now we think it is important that EVERY vote be counted – not just the ones in King County.

Why should counties reconvene the canvassing boards?

Many – if not most – counties around the state have ballots that were rejected because the county did not have enough information to verify the voter’s signature, as well as ballots from military personnel who did not receive their ballots until after election day. The Supreme Court has said county canvassing boards have the authority to correct discrepancies and inconsistencies, and we believe they should use that authority to fix the errors that stopped these votes from being counted.

Have any other county canvassing boards gone back to reconsider votes after they have already certified?

Yes. Thurston County reconvened its canvassing board after it certified the manual recount in order to add one ballot – a vote for Christine Gregoire – to the returns.

Who are the voters whose ballots were thrown out? Why were they thrown out?

Many reasons:

• The county could not verify that the signature on their absentee or provisional ballot matched the signature on file.
• The county failed to locate the signature on file for comparison to the one on the ballot.
• Voters serving in the military overseas received their ballot after election day.

Are these voters from a concentrated area or do they live throughout the state?

These voters are in counties all over the state.

Could these votes change the outcome of the election?

There are thousands of voters whose ballot were rejected, and those ballots certainly could change the outcome in such a close race.