Kucinich Requests New Hampshire Recount

Jan 10, Concord, NH. Amidst wide spread speculation of irregularities in the New Hampshire primary results, Democratic House Representative and Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has formally requested the Secretary of State initiate a recount. In his letter, Kucinich states "I am not making this request in the expectation that a recount will significantly affect the number of votes that were cast on my behalf," adding "Serious and credible reports, allegations, and rumors have surfaced in the past few days." Kucinich finished 5^th in New Hampshire with less than 2% of the vote.

As the media coverage of the January 7^th primary demonstrated, exit polling and voter surveys showed Senator Barack Obama with a sizable lead in New Hampshire. When the polls closed showing Senator Hilary Clinton as the winner, pundits were falling all over themselves trying to explain how they could have been so wrong.

Unsatisfied with the various explanations offered by the news media, several election watchdog groups and independent bloggers dug deeper into the results. Analyzing the numbers in finer detail, apparent discrepancies were found between districts using Diebold election machines and district who counted votes by hand.

Diebold is no stranger to controversy. In the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections, Diebold machines were linked to voting irregularities possibly affecting the outcome. Diebold optical scan machines were featured in the HBO documentary, Hacking Democracy in a demonstration showing how the vote totals could be manipulated without even opening the machine. Also featured was John Silvestro president of LHS associates, the firm charged with maintenance of New Hampshire's Diebold machines.

The State of New Hampshire's recount rules allow candidates who lose by less than 3% to request a recount for a $2000 fee with the balance funded at the states expense, candidates who do not meet that qualification can still request a recount but are required to pay for it. Reportedly the Kucinich campaign has sent the $2000 check required to initiate the recount.

Kucinich said "Without an official recount, the voters of New Hampshire and the rest of the nation will never know whether there are flaws in our electoral system that need to be identified and addressed at this relatively early point in the Presidential nominating process."

David Scanlan, New Hampshire's Deputy Secretary of State stated his belief that "the votes that were cast on election day were accurately reflected in the results. And I have every confidence that will be the case." He does seem to agree with Kucinich that a recount would clear up any confusion. "I think people from out of state don't completely understand how our process works and they compare it to the system that might exist in Florida or Ohio, where they have had serious problems. Perhaps the best thing that could happen for us is to have a recount to show the people that."

Sources:

Kucinich Seeks NH Dem Vote Recount - The Associated Press

Dennis Kucinich Calls for Statewide Recount in New Hampshire - Cleveland Leader

Kucinich Asks for New Hampshire Recount in the Interest of Election Integrity - Business Wire

Union Leader - NH Presidential Primary - Union Leader

NH Primary Results by District - NH Secratary of State