Presidential votes to be rechecked in 11 counties

3/25/2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio s elections chief wants a fraction of the state s presidential vote recounted in at least 11 counties, as part of an unprecedented audit aimed at verifying there were no major snags in the election.

With the closely divided state getting much national attention, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has asked county election boards to volunteer for the audit. They would recheck at least 7 percent of the March 4 vote by hand.

Under the rules Brunner has laid out, the audits must take place within five days of the official certification of the vote on April 4. The procedure would check paper ballots counted by optical scan machines and votes cast on electronic touch-screen machines.