Fine post, thanks for the update.

One small issue:

"But, that's not all. A recount in a populous county is expect [sic] to increase the number of votes for Gregoire."

(expected)

Hey, even the best writers need editors! ;)

Thank you for keeping people updated on our "mini-Florida" race here in the Northwest. As of now (12:45am), Rossi is ahead by a mere 19 votes.

All results will be certified @ 4pm tomorrow and we're pretty much assured of a recount.

If I may, however suggest for those who want to follow the goings on - to go to KING5-TV in Seattle www.king5.com rather than KGW which is in Portland (even though I used to work at KGW in my TV news days). KING5 has real-time vote count as well as links to other election info for those political junkies who love a good drama.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for a Gregoire win. It would help blunt the extreme disappointment I've felt since election day... but only a little.

Amazing, isn't it? We say every vote counts. But, it is really something to see it so clearly demonstrated.

I'm wondering if the GOP is bad sport enough to try to challenge the provisional votes if Gregoire wins. We'll see.

I have to say that I'm heartened by the intelligence of Gray's Harbor County to suspect that 93% voter turnout doesn't seem quite right, investigate and recount immediately.

We hear a lot about the technical problems with e-voting and such, but I'd like to quickly praise the integrity of some of the people dealing with these issues to challenge their own results, admit and correct their errors.

Congrats to Grays Harbor for temporarily restoring my faith in the process of American democracy.

Of course, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed about today's results.

A 93% turnout?

Was that on Diebold voting machines?

I wasn't able to find out what voting machines are used. But, I do know how the miscount occurred. They were transferring data from one computer to another on discs. (Beats me why a network isn't being used instead.) Carrying them by hand from one computer to another. Then, apparently, laying them beside the computer. Some of the discs were inserted in the second computer more than once. That resulted in a false tally.

(Note to reporters: Diebold machines are controversial. Say whether they are being used.)

It's official. A recount has been called by the Washington Secretary of State.

The final count gave Republican candidate Dino Rossi the win - by 261 votes.
Counties have until next Wednesday to recount votes.

It isn't over yet...

Rossi wins! Maybe...

There are post mortems floating around already, but I'm remaining reticent. The margin is just too close to do otherwise.

Update: Will the GOP never hit it and quit it with the lit, lit, litigation? They've now sued to try to stop some ballots from being counted in the recount. The NYT has the story.

Republicans sued Secretary of State Sam Reed and the King County Division of Elections on Saturday, arguing that ballots that could not be counted electronically should be excluded from the recount because they would have to be checked by hand.

The lawsuit said the recount would be inconsistent because hand counting was not an option in counties where punch-card ballots were used instead of optical scanners.

"This constitutes a clear violation of hundreds of thousands of Washington voters' right to equal protection under the United States and Washington State Constitutions," the lawsuit stated.

Nonsense. If those ballots are not counted, the voters who completed them will be deprived of their right to to vote, period. Though the statute assumes machine counting, that does not mean ballots the machines won't read shouldn't be counted by hand. What was the outcome? The GOP lost.

Estimated recount completion is tomorrow.