According to the
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Columbus- A trio of activist lawyers armed with mysteriously wrong exit polls and hundreds of voter horror stories announced plans Friday to contest Ohio's presidential election as soon as the vote is official.
Their challenge could lead to widespread reconsideration of dozens of alleged election irregularities around the state - from reported computerized voting glitches to provisional-ballot mishaps to unusual incidents involving voter rolls, poll workers and machine technicians.
But it is unclear whether the complaint will ever get that far.
Columbus attorney Cliff Arnebeck, a national officer in the Alliance for Democracy, could not predict exactly when members of the coalition will be ready or able to file their request.
And, after they do, the Ohio Supreme Court would have to rule in their favor.
it isn't just the aftermath. What's also unclear is the exact timing of the recount with expected time frame of results. Same article:
Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said many glitches brought to light on Internet blogs and in the alternative press will be corrected in the state's official canvass of the election.
That process, which turns unofficial election results into official ones, is still under way.
LoParo said the canvass includes precinct-level auditing of results, poll book reviews, provisional-ballot verification and an actual recount of all ballots cast on Election Day. Official results historically have varied from final totals only enough to affect the outcomes of very close local races, nothing of the scale of a national race.
Part of the problem is the mechanics of the election recount. Part of the problem is the question not only of the votes that need to be counted/recounted but also of the votes that never took place. Long lines and fewer machines in the Kerry counties compared to the Bush counties may have disenfranchised voters in ways that cannot be undone. markusd's diary links to a piece in the Free Press illustrating the point very well Charts show Kerry polling places in Franklin County, OH were more likely to have a higher voter per machine ratio than Bush polling places).
Ken Blackwell and Katherine Harris are excellent examples of why the position of Secretary of State matters. Subsequent hearings and lawsuits may shed some light on the circumstances that lead to long lines and people not being able to vote. Voter disenfranchisement (implying no deliberate attempt) is as malignant as voter supression (implying intent) when the end result is voters not being able to vote. That's what has led to the League of Women Voters statement highlighted yesterday. The burden seems always to be in minority communities.
If you have more info and/or links about the status of recounts in Ohio, post here. Let us know how the local papers are covering this, editorial, news or otherwise.
[editor's note, by DemFromCT]
tunesmith has done a great job in keeping the Wiki up to date. Go here for details.