Overseas Absentee Ballots Spark Chaos in Florida Recount

The recount of overseas absentee ballots in Florida's presidential election has devolved into chaos, with county officials applying vastly different standards to decide which votes to count and which to discard. The confusion stems from a directive by Secretary of State Katherine Harris, which stated that overseas ballots do not need to be postmarked by Election Day, as long as they were signed and dated by Election Day. However, election officials in several counties claimed that they had always understood that ballots postmarked after Election Day were invalid and had rejected such ballots in previous elections.

Key Takeaways:

Over 2,000 overseas absentee ballots are at stake in the disputed presidential race, representing the last trove of votes that both Republicans and Democrats agree should be counted.
With 65 of Florida's 67 counties reporting, Vice President Al Gore has picked up 597 votes, while Governor George W. Bush has picked up 1,057 votes, increasing his overall lead to 760 votes.
The rules for postmarks on the ballots are a major point of contention, with some counties accepting ballots postmarked after Election Day or with no postmark, while others have rejected such ballots.
Canvassing boards in counties carried by Republicans accepted ballots postmarked after the election or with no postmark, while those in counties carried by Democrats rejected them at a far higher rate.
In some cases, military ballots were rejected because they had no postmarks, while others were accepted because they were sent through military post offices without postage.
Election officials have complained of contradictory and possibly incorrect instructions from Secretary of State Katherine Harris, with some accusing her of bias in her handling of the overall count.
In one instance, a Leon County canvassing board rejected several ballots postmarked after the election, insisting that Ms. Harris had misinterpreted the law.
Military ballots have been a point of contention in several counties, with Republican lawyers arguing that since military personnel can send votes through military post offices without paying postage, there is no stamp to cancel.

Statistics:

Over 2,000 overseas absentee ballots are at stake in the disputed presidential race.
65 of Florida's 67 counties have reported their votes, with Vice President Al Gore picking up 597 votes and Governor George W. Bush picking up 1,057 votes.
With these results, Mr. Bush's overall lead grew to 760 votes.
In some counties, election officials have rejected over 80% of overseas ballots, while in others they have accepted more than 40%.
An impasse over three Leon County votes cast by State Department employees abroad has highlighted the level of minutiae involved in the count.

Sources:

The New York Times, November 10, 2000
Associated Press, November 10, 2000
Reuters, November 10, 2000