Ohhhh Hell and I thought John Kerry was well ahead in the exit
polls, and his lead just blew away, Where were the court cases then.

NOW CHRISTY THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW THE OUTCOME OF
ARE THEY GOING TO PULL THIS OFF IN THE COURTS; CAN THEY DO IT

Trial Begins in Washington Over Election for Governor
By SARAH KERSHAW
Published: May 24, 2005

WENATCHEE, Wash., May 23 - Republican lawyers insisted on Monday that the election that put Christine Gregoire in the governor's office in January was stolen from the Republican candidate and riddled with error and fraud, as a highly anticipated trial began here.

Lawyers for the state's Democratic Party accused their rivals of desperation and argued that they had barely a shred of evidence in their case, built around hundreds of votes that the Republicans say were illegally cast or counted.

Republicans say that some votes were in the names of dead people or felons with no voting rights, that some votes were counted twice and that scores of absentee ballots were counted with no record of voters' having cast them.

After three counts, including two by hand, Ms. Gregoire was named the winner over former State Senator Dino Rossi by 129 votes out of the 2.8 million cast. The protracted legal and political battles over the outcome is now in the hands of Judge John E. Bridges of Superior Court in Chelan County, in this normally placid town surrounded by apple orchards and mountain vistas.

The case is widely expected to be appealed to the State Supreme Court, no matter Judge Bridges's decision.

After the opening arguments, Judge Bridges indicated that he did not approve of the Republicans' presenting new accusations of fraud. Republican lawyers said ballot boxes had been stuffed for Ms. Gregoire in two precincts that she had easily carried and that votes had "mysteriously disappeared" for Mr. Rossi in two precincts where he had strong support. The judge said he would rule later on that issue.

The suit was filed by seven voters here in a largely Republican county and elsewhere, as well as the state party.

Republicans focused heavily on what they described as a series of errors and fraud in heavily Democratic King County, west of here

A lawyer for the Republicans, Dale Foreman, said. "Our citizens' right to choose their own governor was violated by the outrageous and illegal conduct of many people, from those who committed fraud by voting twice; those who committed fraud by casting votes for dead people; nearly 1,000 felons who voted when their right to vote had never been restored; and the elections officials in King County who allowed thousands of illegal votes to be cast and failed to follow the most basic ballot security procedures."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/24/national/24gov.html