Reply #10: Presidential Recount Dispute Goes Back to N.M. Court

[IChing]

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- The state's highest court is revisiting a dispute over last year's presidential election in New Mexico.

State Supreme Court justices are scheduled Monday to hear arguments from lawyers for last year's Green and Libertarian presidential candidates who say the state wrongly handled their request for a recount.

President Bush won New Mexico in the general election by a 5,988-vote margin over Democrat John Kerry.

Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik asked for a recount of presidential ballots statewide in late November, saying there were problems with voting machines and counting of paper ballots.


They submitted a deposit of $114,400 and contend that was the proper amount based on a formula in state election law.

However, the state canvassing board decided on Dec. 14 that the candidates could have a recount but only if they paid $1.4 million - an estimate of the full cost of the recount - as an upfront security deposit.

There was no recount of presidential ballots.>>>>>snip

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW_MEXICO_RECOUNT?SITE=MNMAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-08-28-20-54-40

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Why did not the democratic party ask for recount on line with the greens and Libertarian????