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Palm Beach County's Request to Extend Deadline Rejected
Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris November 26 rejected Palm Beach County's request for more time to complete hand recounts of US presidential votes.
Palm Beach County had asked to extend the deadline for filing results of hand recounts from Sunday's 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. Monday.
The secretary of state's office informed Palm Beach of the decision less than two hours before the 5 p.m. deadline, which was fixed by the state Supreme Court.
Canvassing officials in Palm Beach County stopped hand recounts with as many as 1,000 questionable presidential ballots unchecked after Harris refused the request.
"The secretary of state has apparently decided to shut us down with approximately two hours to go," said Charles Burton, chairman of the three-member canvassing board.
Harris' rejection left the fate of the countywide recount in doubt, raising questions of whether Harris would accept incomplete recounts results.
Harris was expected to certify the presidential election results in Florida after the 5 p.m. deadline lapsed.
According to the unofficial tally reported by The Associated Press, Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush led his Democratic rival Al Gore by 454 votes out of more than 6 million cast.
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