* Ohio’s Democratic Party this week filed a lawsuit to challenge the way the state is counting the more than 150,000 provisional ballots, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. While experts have said it is impossible to overcome President Bush’s margin of victory, party leaders said the lawsuit is to “make sure all eligible ballots are counted.” In a related story, The Chicago Tribune reported thousands of provisional ballots in Illinois went uncounted because local election officials could not find evidence that the voters who cast them were registered. The same occurred in one Pennsylvania county, the Times Herald reported.
* A number of national organizations this week accused the media of ignoring problems on Election Day, The Boston Globe reported. “With some media outlets moving swiftly to debunk the notion that the election had been stolen by the Republicans, the press itself has come under scrutiny, accused of everything from a conspiracy of silence to a collective passivity about pursuing voting irregularities.”
* Long lines at polling places around the country have made early voting a more appealing option, USA Today reported. The number of people using early voting went up substantially, a survey indicated, and bills calling for early voting or no-excuse absentee voting could be hot topics in a number of state legislatures when sessions begin next year.
* Washington’s protracted gubernatorial election drama was resolved Thursday – at least the first count. The Seattle Times reported Republican candidate Dino Rossi with a 261-vote edge in the race against Democrat Christine Gregoire. The margin of victory triggers an automatic statewide recount, which will start in most parts of the state on Saturday. Some counts will occur on machines, others with locally close vote tallies will require manual recounts.
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