grasping at straws

[jrtom]

I know that Kerry has conceded...but does this concession have the force of law? That is: if (due to legal challenges, counting of absentee/provisional ballots, etc.) enough electoral votes flip to Kerry, does he still win the election?

Comments

[red-frog.livejournal.com]

I think they stop counting. I don't see any reason to expect legal challenges this time.

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that the count is continuing to proceed (bureaucratic inertia, if nothing else, would encourage this). The question is whether the count will be allowed to override the concession if appropriate.

[(Anonymous)]

Strictly speaking, it's not Kerry's decision. Whoever the delegates to the Electoral College vote for later in the year gets to be President. I expect that officially each state imposes a legal obligation on itself to determine the winner of the votes for the electors and they'll keep counting until they meet that obligation. As for what REALLY happens, who knows. Certainly a concession is a sign to the lawyers to back off about procedural challenges, etc.

-JKL

what he said

[amnesiadust.livejournal.com]

It is still theoretically possible that all the provisional ballots left in Ohio could go to Kerry, and he could win the election. But if he's conceded, that basically means that he isn't going to contest anything. And if he isn't going to contest things, then that leaves the door open for the Republicans to keep scrabbling and fighting until Ohio is theirs, should a naive recount show otherwise.

But I don't think that's what happened. I basically think we lost this time.

Re: what he said

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Given the problems that I know about (http://www.livejournal.com/users/jrtom/13604.html) (and this is just in LA), I am not convinced that an honest tabulation would show that Kerry lost. However, there doesn't seem to be a lot that I can do about it at this point...although thinking about ways to get good national standards for registration and voting in place woud be a good place to start.