Democrats Ask For Recount In Hill-Sodrel Race
Request Made Over Concerns Of Whether Some Votes Recorded Correctly
POSTED: 3:34 pm EST November 12, 2004
UPDATED: 6:04 pm EST November 12, 2004INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Democratic Party requested a recount in the 9th District U.S. House race lost by Rep. Baron Hill amid questions over whether optical-scan voting systems used by some counties recorded straight-party votes erroneously.
The Indiana Recount Commission called an emergency meeting Friday afternoon to impound election materials in both that race and in the Indiana House District 9 race won by incumbent Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City.
Hill, who lost to Republican challenger Mike Sodrel by 1,485 votes in the southern Indiana congressional district, filed for the recount after a recount Thursday in Franklin County showed about 600 straight-Democratic Party votes had gone to Libertarians in initial tabulating.
Franklin County is not in the 9th U.S. House District, but three counties that are -- Ripley, Scott and Switzerland -- also used optical-scan voting systems provided by Fidlar Election Co. of Rock Island, Ill.
The Franklin County recount resulted in a Democrat winning a county council seat that initially had gone to a Republican.
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