By
The Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida officials began recounting nearly 6 million ballots yesterday to determine the next president, while Democrats and some voters complained of irregularities in the election.
The recount in all 67 counties was triggered by state law because Republican George W. Bush led Democrat Al Gore by less than one-half of 1 percent. State officials expected to be finished by the end of the day today.
The scrutiny was intense because Florida, with its 25 electoral votes, will decide the winner of the presidential cliffhanger. In an added twist, the state's governor, Jeb Bush, is the younger brother of the Republican nominee.
"We thought it would be close. Never in my wildest dreams I ever thought it would be this close," Jeb Bush told reporters in the capital city.
Both Bush and Gore campaigned hard in the state and regarded it as crucial.
The latest Florida totals, including all absentee ballots received so far, showed Bush with 2,909,135 votes and Gore with 2,907,351 - a difference of 1,784 in a state with 8.75 million registered voters.
In each county, a county judge, the chairman of the county commission and the local elections supervisor, recounted the votes. The makeup of the canvassing board is supposed to insulate the process from politics, state elections director Clay Roberts said.
Some counties expected to have their recount completed yesterday. The canvassing boards will send their results to Tallahassee, the capital.
The results will be certified by Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris and Roberts, a Republican appointee. Jeb Bush said he recused himself.
Two former secretaries of state - Warren Christopher for Gore and James A. Baker III for Bush - were heading monitoring teams sent to Florida yesterday.
Elections supervisors also waited for an undetermined number of overseas ballots, primarily from military personnel and their families. The state allows 10 days after the election for the ballots to come in.
The state counted about 2,300 overseas ballots in the 1996 election - more than the margin separating Gore and Bush this time.
In Florida and elsewhere, Democrats grumbled about long lines at the polls, reports that ballots were late in arriving at polling places and other possible irregularities. Jesse Jackson said he got calls on Election Day complaining that blacks had difficulty voting in Florida and other Southern states.
Jackson said some voters were told there were no more ballots, or that polls were closed.
"What we need is not just a recount by hand, but also a thorough investigation," Jackson said.
NAACP President Kwesi Mfume was holding a news conference later yesterday to raise similar concerns.
Separately, Democratic officials and hundreds of voters complained about the way ballots in Palm Beach County were arranged. Voters punched holes in the middle of the ballot, while candidates were alternately listed to the left and then the right.
"It was virtually impossible to know who you voted for," said Mark Hirsch, a 30-year-old business executive who voted for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.
Some Gore supporters said they feared they mistakenly voted for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan. Gore carried the county by more than 110,000 votes, but the 3,407 votes for Buchanan were by far the most of any Florida county, and almost 20 percent of his total vote in the state.
Republicans said the ballot was approved by Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Theresa LePore, a Democrat.
"The ballot was laid out within accordance with the statute," Roberts said. "That's a voting system that's been in use for many years in many counties."
Jeb Bush said he has seen nothing that indicates fraud, and pledged a fair recount.
"Voter fraud in our state is a felony, and guilty parties will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he said.
