The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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Monday, November 24, 2008
By JOEL TURNER - Staff Writer
Fifth District Congressman Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Rocky Mount) will ask for a recount of the votes in his razor-thin Nov. 4 election with Democrat Tom Perriello.
Goode said the reason for the recount request relates to the many changes in votes since all precincts reported.
Perriello's 745-vote victory over Goode was certified Monday by the state Board of Elections.
But Goode, at a news conference Monday at his campaign headquarters in Rocky Mount, said he will file legal papers to request a recount.
The six-term congressman said that 3,200 votes have changed since the morning after the election. He also said that Perriello received an additional 800 votes in Charlottesville after all precincts had reported.
A recount will ensure that each candidate's tally is comprised only of votes that were properly and lawfully cast, he said.
"Over 316,000 voters were cast in this election for the U.S. House of Representatives. The morning after election night, with all precincts reporting, we were ahead by 446 votes,"ﾠGoode said.
"Since that time, over 3,200 votes have changed -- the largest changes coming from cities and counties that voted for my opponent. Now, we are trailing by 745 votes in the certified count," he added.
During the past few weeks, "voters from across the Fifth District have encouraged me to seek a recount," Goode said.
The Fifth District, which stretches from Charlottesville to Danville, includes 22 counties and cities.
Perriello, who lives in Albemarle County, received 158,612 votes to Goode's 157,967.
Perriello won with 50.09 percent of the vote, and Goode received 49.85 percent, a difference of 0.24 percentage points.
Goode will file a recount petition with the Franklin County Circuit Court in compliance with state law for recounts. The candidate seeking a recount must file a petition with the circuit court where he or she lives.
The chief judge of the circuit court where the recount petition is filed and two other judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court make up the recount court.
The three-judge recount court oversees the recount process.
In an election as close as the Fifth District race, Goode said that with thousands of vote changes taking place during the post-election canvass process, a recount is an important protection for the voters.
"It ensures that each ballot that was lawfully cast in the election is counted and that the votes are accurately tallied,"ﾠGoode said.
Goode said he faces an "uphill battle" in overcoming 745 votes in the recount, but he thinks it is his obligation to his supporters to ask for a recount.
"The result may not change," he said, but he wants to ensure that the process is completed.
Goode declined to comment on whether he will again seek the office if the recount upholds Perriello's victory.
"I'm focusing on the recount," he said. "I don't want to get into that."
Goode said he has lawyers working on his plans for the recount. He refused to say whether he thinks there has been wrongdoing in the vote count, but he said "there were massive vote changes in Charlottesville.'
Goode said he believes that all absentee ballots by military personnel should be counted, but the issue is before the federal courts.
Shortly after the state board certification, Perriello said in a statement:
"Today, the state Board of Elections certified the results of the Fifth District, and declared Congressman-elect TomﾠPerriello the winner by a margin of 745 votes. The citizens of the Fifth District have spoken, every vote has been counted and certified, and they have elected Tom Perriello to be their new representative in Washington to bring change and economic recovery they need."
"We respect Virgil Goode's right to ask for a recount and we are confident the recount will not alter the outcome of this race. The official vote canvassing process that took place in the days immediately following the election was extensive, thorough, and overseen by representatives of both parties. A retabulation of the results of the vote canvass will result in what the Virginia State Board of Elections certified today - that Tom Perriello has been elected as the new congressman for the Fifth District."
Perriello said he will focus on the transition and preparing to become the congressman for the Fifth District.
Here is the procedure, according to the state Board of Elections:
In preparation for the recount, the clerks of circuit court in all localities secured all paper ballots and other election materials in a sealed box and place all sealed boxes in a place closed to the public.
The determination of the votes in a recount is based on votes actually cast in the election (including absentee and provisional ballots). It will not take into account spoiled ballots or other ballots that were ruled invalid.
For direct recording electronic machines, the recount officials will read the results from the printouts sealed in the clerk's office.
For optical scan ballots, recount officials will rerun all the ballots through a tabulator programmed to count only the votes for the office in question, separating out any ballots with write-in votes, under votes or over votes for hand counting. Paper ballots will be hand-counted.
When the recount is over, the parties can inspect any questioned ballots. After hearing arguments, the court will certify to the state Board of Elections and the electoral board the candidate with the most votes. |
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