Florida Supreme Court Refuses to Stop Hand RecountsFlorida's Supreme Court on November 15 rejected the secretary of state's request to delay any hand recounts of ballots in several counties in the state.Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Republican, filed a petition in the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking to block any manual recounts in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties until the courts determine whether election results certified on Tuesday can be modified. "We have considered this petition and have determined that the decision should be denied," the unanimous seven-member court wrote in a brief order. The court rejected her suit without holding a hearing on Harris 's request. Harris went to court one day after certifying Texas Governor Bush's 300-vote lead over his rival Al Gore based on the returns from all 67 counties in Florida. Overseas absentee ballots that arrive by Friday are yet to be counted. Harris was joined by the legal team of Republican presidential candidate Bush later in the day in asking the state Supreme Court to order the counties to stop manual recounts. Bush and his Democratic rival Al Gore are fighting for the 25 electoral votes of Florida which could decide the outcome of the U. S. 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 votes are needed for U.S. presidency. |
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