# Hey, Let's Have A Recount In Ohio! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 8, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819 "2004-12-08T21:30:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/1 "2004-12-08T21:30:16Z")
[Looks like meat’s back on the menu boys!](http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/12/08/ohio.vote.ap/index.html) Must be nice to live in a “pivotal” state where everyone wants your vote to count…just to make sure it was counted just right would you like some silk toilet roll scented with chanel #5, kind electorate? Phooey, says Inigo. I didn’t want George to win, I wanted the JoKer. But then JoKer pussied out before lunch the next day–before the votes were even all counted despite the closeness of the election in a few mother lode states. George may be a lying, soulless murderous fool with iced crude for blood, but at least he’ll put up a screechy whiny hissy fight on behalf of his supporters. By Noon on November 3rd JoKer told me what he thought of my vote. I’ll be even MORE pissed off if Ohio gets turned around and we get the spineless flower child, even if he DOES have 3 Purple Hearts…fucking “dum dum” medals anyway of you ask me. ANYONE can get shot (provided they enter the arena in the first place), but show me 3 silver stars…shit, show me why you deserve ANY combat medals 30 years later, JoKer! \<\<37 lines of considerably more pointless grumbling deleted for your protection\>\> ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/2 "2004-12-08T21:43:21Z")
Er, the JoKer didn’t push for this recount. Cobb and Badnarik did. And I think it’s a good thing for democracy to make sure every vote counts, even if the outcome is the same. It’s not as if the taxpayers are funding this, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/3 "2004-12-08T21:55:45Z")
I understand JoKer isn’t behind it. The sissy. And it IS fueled by Tax dough: > [@](#): > > “an exercise in futility and a ridiculous waste of county tax money,” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/4 "2004-12-08T22:02:31Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > It’s not as if the taxpayers are funding this, anyway. Actually, they will. The law requires the organizations demanding a recount to put up something line $10 per precinct…this works out to $150,000. To do the actual recount will probably run into the millions. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/5 "2004-12-08T22:06:24Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > It’s not as if the taxpayers are funding this, anyway. I may be getting wooshed here, but from the OP’s link, it seems like the taxpayers are: > [@](#): > > …the Green and Libertarian parties collected enough donations to cover the required $113,600, or $10 per precinct. … > And some county officials have complained about the real cost, which Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell said is probably about $1.5 million. On preview: Damn it. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/6 "2004-12-08T22:11:06Z")
Well, I live in Ohio, so I pay Ohio taxes, but I don’t vote in Ohio (because I’m not a US citizen). And as one of the millions of people paying for this thing, I’m happy to have my few cents go on this recount. But what would be even nicer would be if the Ohio Secretary of State, and the county boards of elections, could get the ballot done better next time. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/7 "2004-12-08T22:24:29Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > It’s not as if the taxpayers are funding this, anyway. Taxpayers fund a lot of things: accuracy in vote counting is hardly at the bottom of the barrel. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/8 "2004-12-08T23:33:25Z")
Maybe in the future we can have sponsership of voter recounts. This recount brought to by VIAGRA. Keeping your polls counting since 1998. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/9 "2004-12-08T23:51:16Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Actually, they will. The law requires the organizations demanding a recount to put up something line $10 per precinct…this works out to $150,000. To do the actual recount will probably run into the millions. Didn’t know that, thought the 150k would cover it all. Still, I think this is a worthy use of funds. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/10 "2004-12-08T23:53:18Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya But then JoKer pussied out before lunch the next day–before the votes were even all counted despite the closeness of the election in a few mother lode states. [/quote] “JoKer” didn’t pussy out, the handwriting was on the wall at that point. Sure, he could have thrown a hissy fit, but it wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere, while at the same time undermining confidence in the American election system. > [@](#): > > I’ll be even MORE pissed off if Ohio gets turned around and we get the spineless flower child No need to worry about that, it’s not going to happen. > [@](#): > > \<\<37 lines of considerably more pointless grumbling deleted for your protection\>\> I appreciate it. I gather the basic gist of your rant is “I’m mad Kerry lost, mad he didn’t fight tooth and nail in a (almost certainly losing) post-election battle for Ohio, and mad the media is still talking about the election.” But please correct me if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/11 "2004-12-09T00:03:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Bush won the presidency by taking Ohio’s 20 electoral votes, bringing his total to 286 over Kerry’s 252. If Bush won with a margin of 34 electoral votes, then it wasn’t really Ohio’s 20 that pushed him “over the top”, was it !?!? Wasn’t it Ohio plus some other state??? 😕 -ggurl (Still embarrassed that my measly vote, as usual, didn’t cancel out the Ohio Republican horde) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/12 "2004-12-09T00:06:10Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > “I’m mad Kerry lost, mad he didn’t fight tooth and nail in a (almost certainly losing) post-election battle for Ohio, and mad the media is still talking about the election.”…But please correct me if I’m wrong. Actually, I’m just plain mad. But, curse you. You are too familiar with my posting style 😃 I didn’t particularly want to see JoKer do an Al Gore impression if that’s what you mean, but he could have at least feigned hopeful silence for a day or two rather than throwing in the towel when he got a bloody nose. He ended up looking like he was on the Republican payroll the way he caved in. Please tell me I have a point? And yeah, he’s ceded victory so no recount can/should change anything I think. Forgive me…I’m still a bit rabid about it even being a close race in the first place. I’m doing the best I can to hunker down and chant “this too shall pass” and “this will inspire change” for the next four years without the media ripping the scab off and grinding in kosher salt with the heel of a jackboot. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/13 "2004-12-09T00:07:51Z")
> [@ggurl](#): > > If Bush won with a margin of 34 electoral votes, then it wasn’t really Ohio’s 20 that pushed him “over the top”, was it !?!? Wasn’t it Ohio plus some other state??? 😕 Election math: 286 - 20 \< 252 +20 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-lets-have-a-recount-in-ohio/278819/14 "2004-12-09T05:00:21Z")
> [@ggurl](#): > > If Bush won with a margin of 34 electoral votes, then it wasn’t really Ohio’s 20 that pushed him “over the top”, was it !?!? Wasn’t it Ohio plus some other state??? One needs 270 EVs to win the presidency. Subtract 20 from Bush’s 286 an he has 266, not enough to win. Add those 20 to to Kerry’s 252 and he has 272 and the presidency.