Florida Supreme Court says manual recounts can continue

11:00 AM

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that Florida counties can continue manual vote recounts that Democrats believe could produce enough ballots to give Vice President Al Gore the White House.

In an interim order entered in a case filed by Palm Beach County, the justices said the issue of whether manual recounts could continue had been answered by state courts in Palm Beach and Leon counties.

"At present, this is binding legal authority on this issue and there is no legal impediment to the recounts continuing," the justices wrote.

Palm Beach County elections officials had asked the court to decide between conflicting legal opinions issued by Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Republican, who said manual recounting should halt, and Attorney General Bob Butterworth, a Democrat, who said hand counts could continue.

Democrats believe hand counting of ballots in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties could produce enough votes to overturn the 300-vote lead of Texas Gov. George W. Bush and give Gore the presidency.

- REUTERS

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