Washington Rethugs Try to Block Newly Found Legal Ballots [View All]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/national/17recount.html?pagewanted=print&position=

G.O.P. Tries to Block Newly Found Ballots in Washington State

By ELI SANDERS

SEATTLE, Dec. 16 - With 573 newly discovered ballots roiling the second recount in the race for governor of Washington, the Republican Party went to court Thursday seeking a restraining order that would halt the counting of those votes.

The ballots, which were discovered here in King County, a Democratic stronghold, have the potential to swing an election in which the Republican nominee, former State Senator Dino Rossi, led the Democrat, State Attorney General Christine O. Gregoire, by just 42 votes after a recount was completed last month.

The previously uncounted ballots were discovered after a Democratic county councilman, having noticed his name on a county-compiled list of people whose votes had not been counted, demanded an explanation.

It turned out that the councilman, Larry Phillips, was among 573 King County voters whose absentee ballots had been erroneously ruled invalid because of gaps in a county computer file used to authenticate voter signatures, election officials said.