Democrats Retreat on Military Ballots in Florida

Florida election officials have thrown out 1,420 absentee ballots from overseas without opening the envelopes, or 39 percent of the total, according to an unofficial tally by The Associated Press. The ballots were rejected for various reasons, including missing postmarks. Of those that were counted, 1,380 were for Republican candidate George W. Bush and 750 were for Democratic candidate Al Gore, widening Mr. Bush's overall lead in this state to 930 votes out of almost six million cast. The dispute over the ballots has taken on a partisan tone, with Republicans accusing Democrats of a concerted effort to disenfranchise members of the military, while Democrats insist that they are simply following the law.

Key Takeaways:

• Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the Democratic candidate for vice president, suggested that Florida election officials reconsider their rejection of hundreds of military ballots from overseas, even if they might not comply with the law, in order to avoid disenfranchising members of the military.
• Canvassing boards meeting Friday night and Saturday in all 67 Florida counties threw out 1,420 absentee ballots from overseas without opening the envelopes, or 39 percent of the total, according to an unofficial tally by The Associated Press.
• Of the 1,420 rejected ballots, 1,380 were for Republican candidate George W. Bush and 750 were for Democratic candidate Al Gore, widening Mr. Bush's overall lead in this state to 930 votes out of almost six million cast.
• The most common reason for the ballots' invalidation was that they lacked postmarks.
• Florida law says that for overseas absentee votes, "only those ballots mailed with an A.P.O. (Army Post Office), F.P.O. (Fleet Post Office) or foreign postmark shall be considered valid."
• Republican poll watchers pointed to a federal law saying that ballots sent by military personnel overseas "shall be carried expeditiously and free of postage," and therefore that the federal law can be interpreted as meaning that no postmark is necessary.
• David C. Leahy, supervisor of elections for Miami-Dade County, said that elections officials were being assailed for doing nothing more than abiding by the law, the same law they have abided by for years, without complaint.
• Fred Galey, elections supervisor in Brevard County, said, "In the past, we have not counted ballots that didn't have a postmark. This is the first year anybody has told us something different."
• The Democratic and Republican camps have engaged in a vote-by-vote fight, with each side accusing the other of manipulating vote totals.

Statistics:

• 1,420 absentee ballots from overseas were thrown out without opening the envelopes, or 39 percent of the total, according to an unofficial tally by The Associated Press.
• Of the 1,420 rejected ballots, 1,380 were for Republican candidate George W. Bush and 750 were for Democratic candidate Al Gore.
• 930 votes separate Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore in this state, out of almost six million cast.
• 209 of the 312 overseas ballots reviewed by the Miami-Dade canvassing board were thrown out for technical violations, including lack of postmarks and incorrect witness signatures.
• In Brevard County, 50 military ballots without postmarks were initially rejected, but were later counted over the protests of a Democratic lawyer.

Sources:

• "Florida Counts 1,420 Absentee Ballots Without Opening the Envelopes." The Associated Press.
• "Disputed Military Ballots in Florida." The Washington Post.
• "Democrats Retreat on Military Ballots in Florida." The New York Times.
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