Feb 19, 2008 12:26 pm US/Central
NYC Recount Underway For Democratic Primary
Illinois Senator's Supporters Outraged Over Voting Disaster
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Barack Obama's supporters in NYC are upset after voting machines in 80 districts registered the Illinois senator with 0 votes on Super Tuesday.
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images
New York City election officials are dealing with a startling discovery: 80 election districts -- many in minority areas -- had no votes recorded for Barack Obama.
Obama supporters are protesting and a recount is under way.
"It was clear from the votes, just people volunteering, that the majority of the votes were for Obama," said poll watcher Gordon Davis.
Imagine Davis' surprise when he learned that the tally from that machine, a device he watched, was reported to election officials as Hillary Clinton 141, Barack Obama 0.
"That's an outrage," Davis said. "It's wrong. It's wrong."
Many in the district agree.
"I don't feel good about it," one man said.
What's more troubling to Obama supporters is that 80 different election districts reported zero votes for the senator from Illinois.
"All of a sudden something like this happens, bad business," Davis said. "(It's) bad for New Yorkers, bad for the country and no good for Barack Obama."
Election officials say primary night tallies are always unofficial and that they always re-check the machines before certifying the vote.
"What you can see here clearly is just an omission when they put the vote in for Barack Obama because it does include the votes from his delegates," said Marcus Cederqvist, executive director of the NYC Board of Elections.
Cederqvist showed CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City the tally sheets from a district in Brooklyn that initially had 118 votes for Sen. Clinton and none for Sen. Obama.
A recount found 116 for Obama.
"Election night is unofficial and the official results are going to come when we have a chance to canvas all the machines and the paper ballots," Cederqvist said.
Obama supporters hope that if the official count continues to go in their favor they could pick up a delegate or two.
It's too early to tell if any of those recounts could change the breakdown of New York's delegates, but in a race so tight, the change of just one delegate could end up deciding the Democratic nomination.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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