Recount cost could climb to $125,000 - And they want the money up front

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080115/FRONTPAGE/801150398/0/NEWS04

New Hampshire presidential primary recounts don't come cheap. Conducting a hand tally of last week's primary votes has a per-ballot price tag of about 24 cents, according to officials at the Secretary of State's office. For the two presidential candidates who requested the recounts - and thus are on the hook for the cost, if they decide to proceed - that works out to $57,600 for a Republican primary recount and $69,600 on the Democratic side.

By law, the recounts would begin tomorrow and would likely take weeks to complete.

Democrat Dennis Kucinich and Republican Albert Howard, neither of whom came close to winning last week's primaries here, have to pay the full estimated cost by 3 p.m. today or lose their shot at a recount. By yesterday evening, signs were pointing toward a new tally: State officials spoke with Kucinich and Howard after estimating the recount cost, and "the indication is they want to proceed," said Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan.

Contacted by telephone about the recount price tag, Kucinich spokesman Tom Staudter responded, "At what cost democracy?"

"This is an important step in protecting our electoral process and our democracy," Staudter continued. "So if this is what you have to do to protect our democracy, this is what you do."

Staudter added a quick plea for money, saying that "other campaigns are free to chip in."

Although Kucinich hoped to move forward with the recount, it was unclear last night whether his campaign would be able to get the nearly $70,000 to the secretary of state's office by this afternoon. snip

Kucinich also paid the $2,000 initial recount fee. Under state law, if a candidate finishes more than 3 percentage points behind the winner, he or she must pay the cost of a recount. Secretary of state officials say they need to receive the full estimated cost of the recount before the hand count begins.

[Bonobo]

1. What are they, drug dealers?

[Wednesdays]

3. Loan sharks?

:shrug:

[FourScore]

4. Sub-prime mortgage lenders?

:shrug:

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FourScore]

2. did LHS know in advance which county was to be recounted? n/t

[papau]

19. it is not random - he gets to tell them where to recount-if not "full" then "representative" precint

[mod mom]

5. Why should citizens have to pay to have confidence in a system shown to use faulty machines

overseen by partisan private corporations?

Seems to me they don't want this vote counted! Look how the Republicans had their funds tied up.

[Marrah_G]

8. This keeps the state from having to absorb unecessary expenses

If Obama asked for the recount I think it would have been free. But since the one asking has no shot at winning it then he has to pay for it.

[MetaTrope]

Falsifying the paper trail too isn't going to come cheap

[bemildred]

6. "other campaigns are free to chip in." nt

[tridim]

7. OK, now we know they're hiding something. nt

[Marrah_G]

9. Explain please?

What does cost have to do with hiding something? These rules are the same as they always are.

[Justice Is Comin]

11. The interesting thing is that the

red shirts want a mulligan too.

Wouldn't it be sweet revenge if they found something. Like, oh I don't know....voting machine fraud

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. Dennis doesn't have $69,600? Can't the DNC chip in and help?

:( I'm sure the DNC would want FAIR elections, right?

[Lex]

13. That could easily be raised if enough people are interested

in raising the funds.

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. Also, why did this price come up AFTER signs were pointing to a NEW tally?

By yesterday evening, signs were pointing toward a new tally: State officials spoke with Kucinich and Howard after estimating the recount cost, and "the indication is they want to proceed," How do they come up with a cost of 24 cents per ballot?

[Tarc]

17. I think you are misreading it

The cost has always been .24 throughout this, that has not changed. It gets more expensive if they ask for more to be counted.

[Fleshdancer]

15. if the hand count reveals a different winner.....

then the companies who own the voting machines should be forced to reimburse whomever pays for the recount and also pay a penalty to the state of NH.

I'm still surprised the polling companies aren't pitching in on the cost of the recount.

[FourScore]

16. I can't believe there is no live-blogging.

Anyone have any clue what is going on???

[Tarc]

18. what are you talking about?

This is going to take weeks to finish. You want live coverage of people counting ballots?

[tridim]

20. A hand recount of NH would probably take a day at most.

NH isn't Florida.

[Tarc]

21. You don't know what you're talking about

I live here and kinda do, as the article supports;

"The process could take weeks, as state workers, accompanied by state police escorts, gather ballots from town and city clerks throughout the state and return to Concord, where the recount will likely take place in the building that houses the state Division of Archives and Records Management, Scanlan said."

[tridim]

22. "could" take weeks.. "will likely" take place in the Archives..

They're just trying to scare off Kooch IMO.

I'm just comparing the number of ballots in the two states (it's not even close), and the fact that NH doesn't have hanging chad punch ballots that are difficult to read.

The count could be done very quickly if they wanted to do it quickly.

[RB TexLa]

23. Everyone requires politicians to pay up front. If you don't, you either never get paid

or it takes forever.