Election changes are winner in recount

REBECCA COOK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS   25 December 2004

The exhausting, exasperating, excruciatingly close Washington governor's election might be the worst thing to happen to democracy since Florida's pregnant chads. Or, it might be no big deal.

The votes are in (for now). The election has been decided (for now). The courts have spoken (for now). Democrat Christine Gregoire won the final recount by 130 votes, after losing the first two counts to Republican Dino Rossi.

Gregoire says it's over, but even those whose most fervent holiday wish was for a decided election don't believe that. Republicans are pushing hard for counties to reconsider ballots they believe were wrongly rejected. The whole mess likely will head back to court sometime soon.

The only clear winner so far is election restructuring. Proposals for changing Washington's election system are going to be common at the state Capitol this winter.

So was this election a travesty or a triumph? And when the dust clears, will the controversy really make a difference?

Opinions are split in academia.

The new governor "will have difficulties in perceived legitimacy," said University of Washington political science professor David Olson. "It will be very difficult to tackle big issues with a strong policy agenda. The mandate is not there."

No kidding Gregoire now has a margin of 0.0047 of a percentage point.

But, as Olson acknowledged, it's hard to ignore the shining example of mandate-less leadership, President George W. Bush. Losing the popular vote in 2000 didn't stop Bush from pursuing his agenda, even before the attacks of 2001 temporarily unified the country behind him. And a majority of voters approved, as shown by Bush's election victory this year.

"People do have short memories," Washington State University political science professor Lance LeLoup said. "The stuff that seems so unbelievable right now, that has people clutching their hearts and moaning that this is the end of life as we know it a year down the line this will be a footnote in history."

If Gregoire does claim the governor's office, she will enjoy the benefit of a Democratic state House and Senate. Though some state Democrats second-guessed her campaign as too cautious and lackluster, they surely will greet her as a hero when the Legislature convenes for its 2005 session in January.

Change in the air

Secretary of State Sam Reed has suggested a package of changes, though he has said he believes the election went well, all things considered.

"We don't expect it to be perfect," Reed said. "But we do have a system set up to correct those imperfections when they surface, and we have done that."

Real election reform is tricky, though after all, the system worked for everyone who's in the government now, so why change it? Watchdog groups are ready to take matters into their own hands if need be.

"It's a recipe for an initiative on election reform," said Tom Kwieciak of Olympia, who works for the Building Industry Association of Washington, a group that's had recent success with initiatives. Washington got its campaign finance laws through voter-approved initiative.

The two candidates predictably split on whether this election was free and fair.

"Like many people across Washington, I'm very concerned about the integrity of this election process, and I'm also very concerned that not all votes are being treated equally," Rossi said in an e-mailed statement Thursday. He said Washington has neither a clean election nor a legitimate governor.

Gregoire, on the other hand, brimmed with confidence in the Washington electoral system after the results were announced Thursday night.

"I think we have been a model to the rest of the nation and to the world at large," Gregoire said. "This is the biggest display of democracy I have ever seen, and I am proud of it."

Pull together?

Mindful of her microscopic margin, Gregoire reached out to Rossi voters.

"A lot of heated words have been said during this recount," she said, perhaps remembering how Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt called Rossi a thief a few days before.

"But with the election coming to a close, I am confident we can begin move forward as one state," Gregoire said.

Some Republicans have urged Rossi not to contest the election, if only so he can come back stronger in 2006 to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, or to run again for governor in 2008. Many Republicans, though, aren't buying the unity talk from Gregoire and say they won't give up so easily.

"We have the right to contest and we have the reasons to contest it," said Javier Figueroa of University Place, a state parks employee and Rossi supporter who protested outside the Capitol during Gregoire's Thursday news conference. He said family and friends from Texas and Florida have been calling for daily s on the roller-coaster race.

The 2005 Legislature convenes on Jan. 10. The inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 12. The next governor will have a full plate of problems, foremost an ugly $1.6 billion budget shortfall. Is it time to move on, or to stand firm? In a sense, it's up to the voters once again. The public's reaction will likely decide whether this election hangs like a cloud over the next governor, or fades into the footnotes of history.