Count and recount

With Florida’s recount deadline past and the threats from the Gore and Bush camps piling up faster than votes did for Pat Buchanan, Florida Judge Terry Lewis needed to act decisively to protect the integrity of the voting process. Instead, he ducked the issue, sending it to Florida’s supreme court.

Judge Lewis ruled that the county canvassing boards must certify and file the election returns they had by 5 p.m. yesterday, but may notify the secretary of state of pending manual recounts and file further vote tallies. The ruling leaves the election’s outcome as muddied as before and drives the process ever deeper into a legalistic swamp.

Because it is the Democrats who are unhappy with the current Florida vote and questioned, well within the bounds of the law, the way it which voting took place and votes were counted, it is they who should now suggest a bottom-line standard of what constitutes a fair recount. That doesn’t mean the courts – or Republicans, for that matter – have to agree to the standard, but at least the public would know how far this election might go. Such an announcement, preferably including a solution outside of court and considering yesterday’s proposal from Republicans, would end the sense that Democrats will continue only until the vote swings their way.

Like all states, Florida has a recount process and there is nothing wrong with one candidate using that process in what everyone recognizes as an extremely close election. But, like all states, Florida’s process is open to interpretation and can be abused by anyone with determination and a competent lawyer. Without a measure of what constitutes an end to this election, Democrats are creeping close to that point, especially with the selective use of the hand recount.

Vice President Al Gore seemingly has spent his entire adult life preparing to lead the nation. Now is his chance by saying how he sees a process for fairly ending this election. And then, win or lose, pledging to stick with it.

.

And a related note for those who think that nothing could have compared with this cliffhanger presidential election. Another possible scenario could have tied the country in knots a lot longer.

The agony under the present system was bad enough. The electoral vote was close to a tie. The tie-breaking Florida vote was so close that it required a recount. Every Florida ballot had to be checked for any illegality or irregularity.

But the popular vote was close to a tie, too. If we had abolished the Electoral College and changed to direct popular election of the president, the uncertainty would have spread across the whole country.

Any error in any state, whether its vote was close or lopsided, would have affected the total. All 50 states – in fact, all 175,000 precincts in the entire country – would have been subject to recount and charges of error and manipulation.

The Electoral College system may seem cumbersome and archaic, but when the popular vote is as close as it was this time, the state-by-state electoral vote system saves us from a recount that could last for months.