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Florida Secretary of State Refuses to Accept Hand Recounts
Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris on Wednesday announced that she would not accept new hand recounts results of three counties in Florida.
She told reporters in Tallahassee, Florida that she would not allow the hand recounts results to be added to Florida's total US presidential tally.
"I've decided it is my duty under Florida law to exercise my discretion in denying these requested amendments," Harris said.
She claimed that the three heavily Democratic counties, Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, had not provided sufficient evidence to justify their hand recounts.
Harris said Florida's vote count will be official when overseas absentee ballots, received no later than midnight on Friday, are counted on Saturday.
Her announcement came after Florida's Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected her request to delay any hand recounts of ballots in the three counties.
Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush led his Democratic rival Al Gore by only 300 votes out of nearly 6 million cast in returns from all 67 counties in Florida.
Bush and Gore are fighting for the 25 electoral votes of Florida which could decide the outcome of the US presidential election.
Apart from Florida, Bush carried 29 states for 246 electoral votes while Gore won 19 states plus the District of Columbia for 262 electoral votes. A total of 270 electoral votes are needed for US presidency.
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