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Florida Court Rules State Must Accept Amended Returns
Florida's Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday that state election officials must accept amended vote recounts as late as Sunday or Monday, a spokesman for the court announced
"In dealing with similar conflicts in the past, the court has consistently held that the right of people to cast their vote is the paramount concern overriding all others," court spokesman Craig Waters said in a brief statement in Tallahassee, Florida.
"To achieve this goal, the court holds that amended certifications from the county canvassing boards must be accepted by the Election Canvassing Commission through 5:00 p.m. (2200 GMT) on November 26, if the secretary of state's office is open for the special purpose of receiving amended certifications," he said.
Waters said that if the secretary of state's office is not open for this purpose on that date, the Election Canvassing Commission must accept amended certifications until 9:00 a.m. (1400 GMT) on November 27.
The spokesman said the seven-judge court has issued a 42-page opinion in the presidential election cases which will be available on the web site of the court (www.flcourts.org).
The court made the historic ruling after a hearing of two and a half hours on Monday and intensive deliberations on Tuesday.
Texas Governor George W. Bush so far led by only 930 votes over Vice President Al Gore in the presidential elections in Florida.
The court ruling made it possible to include results of the on-going hand recounts in three counties in the final totals of Florida's presidential ballots.
With 25 Electoral College votes, Florida will decide whether Gore or Bush wins the White House.
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