Democrats contest Ohio’s votes

Congress counted the votes in the Electoral College yesterday and certified President Bush as the winner, but only after a bitter Democratic attempt to challenge Ohio’s 20 votes.

Republicans ridiculed the attempt, which Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, did not join. He was traveling in Iraq.

The Senate rejected the challenge by a vote of 74-1, and the House rejected it 267-31. All 31 members who voted for the challenge in the House were Democrats. A substantial number were members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Barbara Boxer of California, a Democrat, was the only senator who voted for the challenge, which she had sponsored. At least one senator was required to sponsor the measure to enable debate on the House challenge and to require a vote.

Vice President Dick Cheney, presiding over the joint session of Congress, then announced that Mr. Bush received 286 electoral votes and Mr. Kerry received 251 votes. One vote for president was cast for John Edwards, the Democratic nominee for vice president.

In the vice-presidential tally Mr. Cheney received 286 votes and Mr. Edwards, the retired senator from North Carolina, received 252.

“This announcement shall be a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States for the term beginning January 20, 2005,” Mr. Cheney declared.

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Mrs. Boxer had objected to counting Ohio’s 20 electoral votes, citing reports from that state of long lines and too few machines at Democrat-leaning polling places, voters leaving without having a chance to vote, disparities between counties in the percentage of provisional ballots counted and standards for voter-registration forms.

They said they wanted to raise a debate about national election standards.

“The election is over; it’s not about overturning the election,” Mrs. Boxer said. “It’s the opening round, for me personally, in the battle for electoral justice.”

Republicans dismissed the attempt at Democratic bitterness over losing the election.

“It’s called sour grapes, and it’s sad to see in this House,” said Rep. J.D. Hayworth of Arizona.

Although Mrs. Boxer was the only senator to vote for her challenge, Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, first voted for the challenge but changed his vote.

This was the first time since 1969 that an objection had been raised to a state’s vote. House Democrats tried to lodge an objection to Florida’s electoral votes after the 2000 election but couldn’t find a senator to join their challenge, a requirement under the law.

Mrs. Boxer told reporters yesterday that she regretted not joining the challenge four years ago.

“Four years ago I didn’t intervene, I was asked by Al Gore not to do so, and I didn’t do so. Frankly, looking back on it, I wish I had,” she said, referring to the 2000 presidential candidate. “It really wasn’t about Al Gore, it was about the voters, and I made a mistake.”

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