TACOMA (AP) – Pierce County election officials have acknowledged counting 164 unverified provisional ballots in November’s hotly contested governor’s race _ a finding Republicans have highlighted in their court challenge of Gov. Christine Gregoire’s election. Gregoire’s Republican challenger Dino Rossi won the first two counts, and Gregoire won the final hand recount of nearly 2.9 million ballots by just 129 votes. As the May 23 trial date in Chelan County Superior Court approaches, the GOP has focused much of its energy on balloting mistakes in King County, including votes cast by felons and dead people. Gregoire outpolled Rossi by 150,000 votes in King County. King County Elections Director Dean Logan has acknowledged that about 660 provisional ballots were counted without the required verification. Republicans say new information shows that number is even higher. Provisional ballots are issued at polling places to people who are not listed on the rolls there. Provisional voters are supposed to mark their ballots and place them in envelopes marked with their names, addresses and signatures for later verification that they are registered to vote. But that system breaks down if the voters feed the ballots directly into vote-counting machines, which both King and Pierce counties install in individual polling places. Once counted, the provisional ballots can’t be distinguished from other ballots. The Republicans are filing claims of mistakes in ballot-handling and illegal votes in hopes that Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges will toss out Gregoire’s victory. In pretrial rulings, Bridges has said the GOP must show that Gregoire owes her win to illegal votes, not just that the total of illegal votes exceeded her winning margin. Republicans are pinning their hopes on an argument that the court should deduct improper votes from the totals in proportion to the overall vote each candidate received in affected precincts. Bridges has not decided if he’ll consider that argument. Democrats say the proportional reduction method is not allowed under state law.
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7 Tips To Get The Care You Need At The Doctor
Black Americans are encouraged to take proactive steps in managing their health care by advocating for themselves. This includes asking pertinent questions, taking detailed notes, and bringing a loved one for support. Additionally, patients should consider recording conversations with healthcare providers, ensuring all interactions and decisions are documented, and reflecting on the impact their advocacy may have on future patients.
