Update: A Multnomah county judge rejected the lawsuit asking for a restraining order against certifying the results of a recount for Measure 92. The recount increased the margin of defeat from 812 to 837 votes out of 1.5 million cast. The results will now be certified as correct by the Secretary of State.
{8.12.14}The Measure 92 vote to label genetically modified foods in Oregon is so close that supporters are going to Multinomah County Circuit Court (Portland) to challenge the disqualification of 4600 votes in the statewide recount now underway. The suit asks for a restraining order to stop certification of the recount until the 4600 are counted. These votes are among the 13,000 voters who submitted their completed ballots on time but whose signatures did not match the signatures on file. Everybody knows that signatures are not engraved in stone and change over time, everybody that is except county voting officials. Some voters tried to confirm the signatures with their county, but their votes are still not being counted. Others were never notified their signatures were being challenged. Even more to the point, the requirement of a matching signature is nowhere enshired in Oregon election law according to the plaintiffs. Absent evidence of forgery or fraud, their votes should be counted says a senior attorney with the Center for Food Safety, a lead support group for Measure 92. These uncounted votes are enough to make a difference in the outcome. The no's won by just 812 votes. An estimated $30 million was raised to contest the ballot mesure, the most expensive in the state's history. {07.11.12; 19.11.14} The recount should be completed this week.