Sure looks like 51 to me...
| By Jake - Nov 8th, 2006 at 4:35 pm EST |
| Also listed in: Sustainable Politics Stapleton |
RICHMOND -- An estimated 200 votes, all of them in Isle of Wight County, remained uncounted early today at mid-day as election workers began reviewing the results of Virginia's cliffhanger Senate race, state leaders said.
Jean Jensen, secretary of the state board of elections, said the remaining 2,442 precincts have reported their vote counts. The number of untallied ballots is well below the 7,312-vote lead that Democrat Jim Webb holds over incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen.
The Senate race is expected to be Virginia's third statewide election recount in the Commonwealth's history. Attorney General Bob McDonnell was elected last year by a 360-vote margin after a recount. In 1989, former Gov. Douglas Wilder was declared the victor after a recount.
Jensen said a computer malfunction in Isle of Wight has delayed a final vote count for that county.
"The votes are fine," she said. "It's just the machines are locked up. The votes are in there."
The precinct in limbo has 383 registered voters, said William Bell, secretary of the county's electoral board. He said turnout for the county was about 57 percent, meaning the number of uncounted votes should be around 200.
Of course this could go on for a while...
Because the results show Webb winning by less than 1 percent -- 0.31 percent to be exact -- Allen will have the opportunity to request a recount.
The Republican may file a request with Richmond courts after the State Board of Elections certifies the final vote on Nov. 27. That means the final result of the race could remain unresolved until December.
Still uncounted are an estimated 2,000 "provisional votes," ballots filled out by people who could not be confirmed on Tuesday as legally registered voters. Jensen said about 4,000 provisional votes were reviewed in last year's recount for the attorney general race, and only 700 of them were determined to be legal votes.
Read more...
Virgina Board of Elections Website













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