Local decision kills hopes for Florida revote
By Michael Greenwald | November 21, 2000WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.-As the quest for the presidency ended its grueling second post-election week with no end in sight, a Florida circuit judge ruled yesterday that Palm Beach County voters are not entitled to another chance to cast their ballots. Citing federal law dictating that presidential elections must take place only on one day, Judge Jorge Labarga dismissed several lawsuits filed on behalf of Palm Beach County voters who said they were disenfranchised by the county's much-publicized "butterfly" ballot. The plaintiffs, who filed an appeal of Labarga's decision late yesterday, alleged the county's ballot violated several state statutes and caused them to vote inadvertently for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan instead of Vice President Al Gore (D). While Labarga's ruling greatly diminished the chances of another vote in Palm Beach County, election officials in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade continued the painstaking task of hand counting the region's almost two million ballots. Not including the partially completed hand recounts, Texas Gov.
