Screwing the Taxpayers

KING5-TV reports that "Small districts bear cost of election recount" Because of the way that election costs are apportioned, any district that had a candidate race or initiative on the ballot this November will be stuck with the rest of the bill for the Gregoire/Kerry/Muckleshoot recount:

even though the Tahoma School District had nothing to do with the governor's race, and even though no one's recounting ballots from the Tahoma levy, the district could be on the hook for roughly $1,2000 [sic] on the first recount.

And, if taxpayers are responsible for a hand recount, the district would have to come up with $5,000 more.

...

In the City of Seattle, its share of a hand recount could be more than a $100,000.

As Ken Schram explains the recount:

Of course, taxpayers would end up getting screwed, but hey, we're used to that.

...

Or - and maybe this is an idea worth considering - maybe the noble duo of Christine Gregoire and Paul Berendt should consider that with the votes from THIS election already counted and recounted, they should quit trying to turn this into a two-bit race.

What a concept. In the words of John Carlson:

What's the difference between Christine Gregoire and me?

I lost one count for governor. Gregoire has now lost two.

Yes, she has. Now if she'd only do the honorable thing and put an end to this circus so we don't impose any more unnecessary costs on the Tahoma School District. Do it for the children, Chris.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at December 02, 2004 11:20 AM | Email This