So my accessible vote really does matter...
From the Richmond Times Dispatch:
The undecided congressional race in Virginia's 5th District [which contains Charlottesville] is such a squeaker that yesterday's constantly fluctuating vote totals alternately made each
candidate a winner -- for a while.
As it stands today, Republican incumbent Virgil H. Goode Jr. is behind, and the contest, one of the tightest races in the nation, appears headed for a request
for a recount.
As of last night, Democrat Tom S.P. Perriello [who was not expected to win] led Goode by 31 votes out of nearly 315,000 cast, according to the State Board of Elections.
In Hampton Roads, Democrat Glenn C. Nye III appeared to have unseated Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd.
Nye claimed victory. Drake was not conceding, however, while she waited for a count of absentee ballots.
If Nye and Perriello win, Democrats will hold six of Virginia's 11 House seats. Democrats have not held a majority in the state delegation since the early
1990s.
The Virginia delegation now includes eight Republicans and three Democrats.
At one point on Election Night, Perriello was ahead of Goode by 870 votes.
[I was watching these numbers on the State Board of Elections site while talking with J on the phone. It was absolutely fascinating.]
But yesterday about noon, the updated vote count changed to give Goode the lead by more than 400 votes. At about 2:30 p.m., Goode was up by only six votes.
At 3:37 p.m., Perriello was up by 31.
"It's been a wild 24 hours," a weary-looking Perriello told reporters in Charlottesville before he began a thank-you tour of the huge district.
"The numbers keep changing from second to second. . . . We need to take a deep breath and make sure every vote is counted."
Goode, in a conference call with reporters yesterday morning, expressed confidence that he would emerge the winner after all the votes have been rechecked
and provisional ballots ruled on. But he added that the tightness of the contest could lead to lawyers getting involved.
In Virginia, there is no provision for an automatic recount, but candidates who lose by less than 1 percent of the vote can ask for a retabulation. As of
last night, Perriello led in the vote count 157,456 to 157,425, a difference of .01 percentage point (or 49.97 percent to 49.96 percent).
Cantor said the GOP caucus is preparing to aid Goode in the recount. If the margin is less than half a percentage point, the state will pay for the recount,
which generally involves lawyers' fees.
A candidate cannot seek a recount until after the Nov. 24 official canvass by the State Board of Elections.
And this one thing I saw in the Washington Post (but now I can't seem to get it to come up without registering) said McCain has filed suit to force VA, contrary to its laws, to count absentee ballots that arrived after polls closed on Tuesday.
The undecided congressional race in Virginia's 5th District [which contains Charlottesville] is such a squeaker that yesterday's constantly fluctuating vote totals alternately made each
candidate a winner -- for a while.
As it stands today, Republican incumbent Virgil H. Goode Jr. is behind, and the contest, one of the tightest races in the nation, appears headed for a request
for a recount.
As of last night, Democrat Tom S.P. Perriello [who was not expected to win] led Goode by 31 votes out of nearly 315,000 cast, according to the State Board of Elections.
In Hampton Roads, Democrat Glenn C. Nye III appeared to have unseated Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd.
Nye claimed victory. Drake was not conceding, however, while she waited for a count of absentee ballots.
If Nye and Perriello win, Democrats will hold six of Virginia's 11 House seats. Democrats have not held a majority in the state delegation since the early
1990s.
The Virginia delegation now includes eight Republicans and three Democrats.
At one point on Election Night, Perriello was ahead of Goode by 870 votes.
[I was watching these numbers on the State Board of Elections site while talking with J on the phone. It was absolutely fascinating.]
But yesterday about noon, the updated vote count changed to give Goode the lead by more than 400 votes. At about 2:30 p.m., Goode was up by only six votes.
At 3:37 p.m., Perriello was up by 31.
"It's been a wild 24 hours," a weary-looking Perriello told reporters in Charlottesville before he began a thank-you tour of the huge district.
"The numbers keep changing from second to second. . . . We need to take a deep breath and make sure every vote is counted."
Goode, in a conference call with reporters yesterday morning, expressed confidence that he would emerge the winner after all the votes have been rechecked
and provisional ballots ruled on. But he added that the tightness of the contest could lead to lawyers getting involved.
In Virginia, there is no provision for an automatic recount, but candidates who lose by less than 1 percent of the vote can ask for a retabulation. As of
last night, Perriello led in the vote count 157,456 to 157,425, a difference of .01 percentage point (or 49.97 percent to 49.96 percent).
Cantor said the GOP caucus is preparing to aid Goode in the recount. If the margin is less than half a percentage point, the state will pay for the recount,
which generally involves lawyers' fees.
A candidate cannot seek a recount until after the Nov. 24 official canvass by the State Board of Elections.
And this one thing I saw in the Washington Post (but now I can't seem to get it to come up without registering) said McCain has filed suit to force VA, contrary to its laws, to count absentee ballots that arrived after polls closed on Tuesday.