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Dec. 22, 2004
I want to thank the King County Elections Division for operating an open, fair and transparent process for counting ballots. We are fortunate that our state law lays out a path to get to a final determination in a close race such as this one. For us, this hand recount hasn’t been about partisan politics; this has been about having a process that assures every eligible vote is counted.
I always believed state law allowed for correction of administrative errors like we had here in King County and in other parts of the state. We are pleased that the state’s highest court saw the importance of counting every eligible vote.
This is the closest race in state history, and we can be assured that every ballot will be looked at by human eyes. Teams of reviewers have looked at every ballot and reached consensus on voter intent. Additionally, our elections manager set up a process that assures us of an accurate count. The hand count caused a number of issues to surface across the state, and it gave us the best opportunity to count all eligible ballots.
No one knows what the 700-plus ballots in question hold -- whether it will change the outcome of the election again. That is why it is appropriate that the state’s highest court made the final decision about whether those ballots be looked at.
After the hand recount is complete, we will have a count in which we can have utmost confidence. If Attorney General Gregoire retains her lead after elections staff determines the eligibility of the 700-plus ballots in question, then she is the governor-elect and will have been elected to represent all of the people of the state.
Updated: Dec. 22, 2004
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