Dec. 22, 2004

Frequently asked questions about the manual recount

Q: Is this King County's final tally?
No. Results released on Wednesday, Dec.22 are unofficial and do not include a group of approximately 735 ballots that were misfiled by staff and not included in the previous election returns. The unanimous decision by the Supreme Court today cleared the way for King County to correct that error. The ballots will not be counted until the canvassing board makes an official motion at 10 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004.

Q: What is the next step for King County Elections?

The King County canvassing board will convene at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec.23 to rule on how to treat ballots not included in King County's original election returns. Should the three-person canvassing board decide to include the ballots in the official manual recount results, staff must verify voters' signatures, then separate ballots from the return and security envelopes, and finally prepare valid ballots for tabulation before counting and certifying the results of the manual recount. The canvassing board will meet a second time Thursday at 3 p.m. to certify the final recount returns - including any additional ballots counted as a result of the Supreme Court decision. Both meetings will be held in the King County Council Chambers located in the King County Courthouse.

Q: Does this mean Gregoire/Rossi won the election?

In King County, Christine Gregoire gained 47 votes; in a race this close Thursday's final vote count could conceivable change the outcome of the race for governor.

Q: How does the machine recount differ from the manual recount, and why?
Votes change in recounts because original vote counts and recounts are conducted by human beings interacting with machines.

The purpose of a recount is to identify any human or machine errors that occurred in the original count and rectify these in the recount.

In the manual recount, the most significant change was ballots with markings that a machine could not previously read were sent to the canvassing board to determine voter intent.

Q: When will King County post its final results?

The canvassing board is expected to certify the manual recount at 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec.23. Results of any additional ballots will be added to the current results and posted online by 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004.

Updated: Dec. 23, 2004

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