Geronimo
04-06-2008, 06:26 PM
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/157/73551.html?1207525000
Getting recount may get harder
Albert Howard, you could be the last also-ran candidate for president to get a statewide recount of the primary vote.
The Ann Arbor, Mich., Republican received only 44 votes in the primary on Jan. 8, but New Hampshire law allows any finisher to request a recount. Those who don’t come within 3 percent of the winner have to pay for it.
As The Sunday Telegraph first reported, Howard got the $60,000 to make the request from an online fundraising effort led by a hard-core North Carolina supporter of GOP candidate Ron Paul, a Texas congressman.
After getting only 2 percent, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, of Ohio, paid more than $20,000 to count about 30 percent of the Democratic presidential ballots here.
Both recounts led to a flurry of sometimes hysterical, Internet-driven charges that New Hampshire’s ballot custody standards somehow left the state ripe for abuse.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner has supported a late-emerging amendment to raise the bar for a recount request. It would be added to a measure (SB 492) dealing with filling vacancies on primary ballots.
Sen. Jackie Cilley, D-Barrington, sought the bill, which allows the party to fill a vacancy if a candidate jumps from one office sought to another that’s also vacant.
Cilley did just that, recruited at the eleventh hour to drop her bid for the House in 2006 and instead to run for the Senate seat she now holds.
Originally, the thought was to permit only those who get at least 25 percent of the vote to seek a recount. This was lowered to 9 percent, but only for presidential candidates, because that’s the threshold for candidates to get delegate votes.
Rep. Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson, is squarely behind the change and is optimistic both parties will embrace this reform.
“It’s just ridiculous how much time and effort Bill’s office had to engage in to satisfy the ludicrous recount requests we had,’’ Jasper said. “This sets an appropriate standard any candidate has to meet to be considered credible enough to get a recount.’’
A working group of the House Election Laws Committee has endorsed the change.
Getting recount may get harder
Albert Howard, you could be the last also-ran candidate for president to get a statewide recount of the primary vote.
The Ann Arbor, Mich., Republican received only 44 votes in the primary on Jan. 8, but New Hampshire law allows any finisher to request a recount. Those who don’t come within 3 percent of the winner have to pay for it.
As The Sunday Telegraph first reported, Howard got the $60,000 to make the request from an online fundraising effort led by a hard-core North Carolina supporter of GOP candidate Ron Paul, a Texas congressman.
After getting only 2 percent, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, of Ohio, paid more than $20,000 to count about 30 percent of the Democratic presidential ballots here.
Both recounts led to a flurry of sometimes hysterical, Internet-driven charges that New Hampshire’s ballot custody standards somehow left the state ripe for abuse.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner has supported a late-emerging amendment to raise the bar for a recount request. It would be added to a measure (SB 492) dealing with filling vacancies on primary ballots.
Sen. Jackie Cilley, D-Barrington, sought the bill, which allows the party to fill a vacancy if a candidate jumps from one office sought to another that’s also vacant.
Cilley did just that, recruited at the eleventh hour to drop her bid for the House in 2006 and instead to run for the Senate seat she now holds.
Originally, the thought was to permit only those who get at least 25 percent of the vote to seek a recount. This was lowered to 9 percent, but only for presidential candidates, because that’s the threshold for candidates to get delegate votes.
Rep. Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson, is squarely behind the change and is optimistic both parties will embrace this reform.
“It’s just ridiculous how much time and effort Bill’s office had to engage in to satisfy the ludicrous recount requests we had,’’ Jasper said. “This sets an appropriate standard any candidate has to meet to be considered credible enough to get a recount.’’
A working group of the House Election Laws Committee has endorsed the change.