Judge Sets May 23 Trial Date For Election Challenge
Bridges said the trial shouldn't take more than two weeks. Whatever he decides, the case will ultimately be appealed to the state Supreme Court, a process that will take at least several months.
Republicans are challenging the election of Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire, who won by just 129 votes in a hand recount of 2.9 million ballots, after Republican Dino Rossi had won the first two counts.
Bridges scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 2 to determine what the Republicans' burden of proof will be in arguing for a new election.
At a news conference Tuesday morning, Gregoire said she's not paying much attention to the election challenge.
"I really feel it's time to put it behind us and move on," Gregoire said.
Meanwhile, officials in King and Pierce counties have reported finding more uncounted ballots in the past week.
King County discovered 93 valid but uncounted absentee ballots. Pierce County election workers found what Auditor Pat McCarthy called "a small number" of uncounted ballots.
McCarthy said she would release the total number of uncounted ballots once election workers complete their search through 650 boxes containing poll site sign-in sheets, ballots and absentee ballot envelopes.
"It's very disconcerting," McCarthy told The News Tribune of Tacoma. "It's a very low number so far. But low is still not good enough. It's not acceptable."
McCarthy said she felt sympathy for King County Elections Director Dean Logan, who is increasingly under fire for election problems in the state's most populous county.
King County election workers found 93 uncounted ballots while searching through boxes containing more than half a million ballot envelopes. The discovery was first reported in Friday's edition of The Seattle Times.
Republicans on the King County Council are asking U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales to investigate the Nov. 2 election. Two Republicans on the council also are calling for Logan to resign. Councilman Reagan Dunn said Logan has made "repeated and inexcusable mistakes."
Even Democrats on the King County Council seem to be wavering in their support for Logan.
"This new revelation of these absentee ballots begins to shake my confidence a bit," said Democratic Councilwoman Julia Patterson.
King County Executive Ron Sims, who hired Logan, praised his conduct and said it would be a "major setback" to replace him now.