So far, N.H. recount reveals no surprises

[sled]

So far, N.H. recount reveals no surprises

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles... /

November 19, 2004

CONCORD, N.H. -- There is no chance to affect the outcome of the
election, but a piecemeal recount of presidential votes began
yesterday in New Hampshire at the request of independent candidate
Ralph Nader, who was acting on behalf of activists who are attempting
to establish ''baseline data" on the accuracy of various vote-counting
technologies.

Preliminary results from the tally, however, showed virtually no
change in the result. The counting is tentatively scheduled to resume
next week.

Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese, who observed the recount, said there
''was no significant difference" in the results from one ward in
Manchester and the nearby town of Litchfield. Democrat John F. Kerry,
who carried the state by 9,274 votes out of 678,000 cast, gained six
votes, President George W. Bush picked up three, and there was no
change for Nader, Zeese said. Nader received less than 1 percent of
the vote in the state. A recount of other Manchester wards was
continuing into the early evening.

Two organizations, the National Ballot Integrity Project and Democracy
for New Hampshire, asked Nader to initiate the recount ''to collect
baseline data comparing hand-counted with machine-counted ballots."
Since the disputed 2000 presidential election, a number of
organizations have been closely monitoring and raising questions about
vote-counting methods, particularly electronic machines that leave no
paper trail for recounts. New Hampshire does not use the ATM-like
electronic voting machines.