Area recound goes ... slowly
By JOE MIZER, Times Reporter    15 December 2004 

The Tuscarawas County Board of Elections recessed its presidential race recount efforts Tuesday night after three hours of hand-counting a portion of ballots cast in the Nov. 2 general election.

Board Chairman Thomas Hisrich announced at about 8 p.m. that the board had decided to recess the recount after a one-vote difference was discovered in the hand count versus computer count in Mill Township?s Precinct 59.

Hisrich said the board hasn?t been able to determine if anyone got an extra vote. ?I don?t think we know whether there?s an extra vote there or not ? that?s not determined yet,? he said.

The election results counted by hand and computer matched perfectly in another precinct, he said.

Hisrich said the recount will be reconvened at a later date, which he estimated could be in a matter of days.

Elections Director Charles Miller has said that 3 percent of the county?s votes ? about 1,300 ? are to be counted by hand. Board members ed at random enough precincts to total at least 1,300 ballots.

The recount has been requested by David Cobb, the Green Party presidential candidate, and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik.

Miller said recently he doesn?t know how long the recount will take, but noted the law requires the recount to be started within 10 days of receipt of the request. There is no ending time frame.

Hisrich said the board decided to suspend the effort after three hours Tuesday night because board employees already had put in 11 hours ? and they had to return to work today.

The counters were comprised of six counting units, each consisting of two people, a Democrat and a Republican. There also were a number of observers representing the Greens, Democrats and Republicans.