RecountOhio

Recount Ohio has been taking ads out on the Cincinnati Enquirer website, among other places. The website is pushing for John Kerry to fight for a nonpartisan recount in Ohio (and, in fact, has a petition to push Kerry and the DNC to get involved), as well as building awareness and mobilize Ohio citizens. The site is also making the not-exactly-illegitimate claim that, due to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's status as co-chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio, he might not be the most neutral, non-partisan figure to oversee any kind of recount effort.

The website also has the details on Ohio's recount procedures:

Any losing nominee or candidate in a primary, general, or special election can request a recount. Also, a group of five or more voters can request a recount on a question or issue. The recount process begins by filing a written application with the Board of Elections of each county in which votes are to be recounted. R.C. 3515.01. The application must be filed within five days after the results were declared. R.C. 3515.02. The application must also list each precinct within the county where votes are to be recounted, and for each precinct a $10 deposit must be paid. R.C. 3515.03.

If the margin of victory of the nominee, candidate, or issue is less than one-half of one percent of the vote, section 3515.011 of the Revised Code triggers an automatic recount in all county, municipal, and district elections. An even slimmer margin —one-fourth of one percent—triggers an automatic recount in a statewide election.

Since Bush won Ohio without as slim a margin as required to have an automatic recount, Badnarik and Cobb, the Libertarian and Green Party presidential candidates, respectively, filed the paperwork and fees to get a recount in place. You might have heard of a judge finding against them last week, but that was only to stop the effort to have the recount begin sooner than December 6, when the votes are certified by the state. No recount will begin until after the vote totals are certified.

But, from all accounts, a complete hand recount will happen, and happen within a week and a half. Wheeee!