Bush appeals to U.S. Supreme Court

By DAVID ESPO

Associated Press

George W. Bush gained unexpected ground in Florida’s contested presidential election today when local officials shut down a manual recount vital to Al Gore’s hopes for a come-from-behind victory.

While Gore’s top aides pledged a court appeal, Republican sources said Bush was seeking to consolidate his gains by deciding to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to order an end to recounts under way in two other counties.

The events tumbled unpredictably out of south Florida as Republican running mate Dick Cheney was hospitalized with chest pains in Washington. Doctors operated on the vice presidential candidate and inserted a stent to treat a narrowing in one artery segment. They said he should recover fully.

“I believe Secretary Cheney and I won the vote in Florida,” Bush said at midday as events churned on in the incredible election of 2000. “And I believe some are determined to keep counting in an effort to change the legitimate result.”

William Daley, Gore’s campaign chairman, countered, “We hope the counts continue.” He added, “All we are asking for is that the rule of law be respected and upheld and that all the votes be counted in a way that is consistent with Florida law.”

Bush holds a 930-vote lead in the state that stands to pick the next president, and Gore was hoping to overtake him based on manual recounts in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The immediate result of the board’s decision was to erase the 157 votes Gore had gained in the hotly disputed Miami-Dade recount. And it also deprived the vice president of a potential trove of votes he had been counting on.

On a day in which the political pendulum swung, then swung back, the Miami-Dade County canvassing board first decided to accelerate the counting of questionable ballots, a step that seemed to be good news for Gore.

Republicans protested furiously, and Bush himself said the manual recounts pressed by Gore in three Florida counties invited “human error and mischief.”

After a chaotic morning of vote counting, punctuated by angry shouting by protesters, the chairman of the Miami-Dade board said he had concluded it was physically impossible to count all ballots that needed counting by the state Supreme Court’s Sunday deadline.

“I do not believe we have the ability to conduct a full, accurate recount” under the limits, said Lawrence King.

Separately, Bush filed suit in Florida seeking to have hundreds of rejected overseas absentee ballots counted. The ballots, cast by members of the armed forces, were thrown out last week after Democrats protested a lack of proper postmarks.

GOP sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush had also agreed to file papers in the nation’s highest court, seeking effectively to overturn a Florida Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday night that said the recounts could continue until Sunday.

The recounting continued in Broward County, where Gore had gained 78 votes thus far. Officials in Palm Beach County, where Gore had gained a handful of votes, suspended their work to await a court ruling they hoped would provide guidance for accepting or rejecting questionable ballots.

The flurry of events unfolded on the morning after a pivotal state Supreme Court ruling. In a unanimous order, the justices ruled the recounts could continue until Sunday, when a final vote certification was required.

That ruling spread optimism through the Gore camp and anger, blended with near-despair, in the GOP ranks.

“Make no mistake, the court rewrote the laws. It changed the rules and it did so after the election was over,” Bush said in a noontime appearance before reporters in Austin, Texas.

A short while later, Daley spoke from the lawn outside the vice president’s residence in Washington.

“We must uphold the rule of law and we should not attack our courts,” he said. He said that a recount is mandatory, and added, “We will immediately be seeking an order directing the Dade County board of canvassers to resume the manual recount.” There was no immediate word on which court would receive the Gore campaign petition.

Touching on yet another area of controversy, Bush urged Gore to join him in making sure that “all overseas military ballots that were signed and received in time count in this election.”

More than a thousand overseas ballots were rejected last week as Democrats protested a lack or postmarks.

The Gore campaign, under fire for the rejection of the ballots, had signaled a willingness to reconsider the issue. Daley addressed that issue carefully.

“Well, all of us agree that those legally cast ballots, whether they’re military ballots or civilian ballots, should be counted. There’s no question about that,” he said.

As for the Bush campaign, lawyers were weighing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to overturn the state Supreme Court’s ruling, according to several officials.

Both sides have been operating under the assumption that the recount ballots will boost Gore’s totals, and possibly allow him to overtake Bush’s lead in the state that now means everything in the battle for the White House.

Bush spoke ominously of the recount process.

“Voters who clearly punched preferences in other races on the ballot but did not do so in the presidential race should not have their votes interpreted by local officials in a process that invites human error and mischief,” he said.

Republicans responded with a protest and sit-in in the lobby of the county Elections Division. “Let us see the ballots,” they shouted, and “Bush won twice,” a reference to Election Day totals and a recount conducted in the first few days after Nov. 7.

Protesters yelled for police to arrest a Democratic attorney, Joe Geller, accusing him of walking out of the tabulation room with a ballot in his back pocket.

More than a dozen police officers surrounded Geller and led him inside the building to safety. He said later he had a “training ballot” used to show people how to count votes.

“It is clearly marked ‘training ballot.’ I wouldn’t have taken something from elections officials that I wasn’t supposed to have in front of a room full of screaming Republicans,” he said.

Copyright ©2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Firefighters respond to a 911 call on July 16, 2024, in Mill Creek. Firefighters from South County Fire, Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Camano Island Fire and Rescue left Wednesday to help fight the LA fires. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Help is on the way: Snohomish County firefighters en route to LA fires

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused at least 180,000 evacuations. The crews expect to arrive Friday.

x
Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence

The 18-year-old victim remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River. Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves water, sewer rate increases

The 43% rise in combined water and sewer rates will pay for large infrastructure projects.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Outside of the updated section of Lake Stevens High School on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Lake Stevens, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lake Stevens, Arlington school measures on Feb. 11 ballot

A bond in Lake Stevens and a levy in Arlington would be used to build new schools.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.