Ballot counter in Seattle tells all

This article talks about the practice and accuracy of the hand recount in Seattle. It mirrors Clark County -- except the rules for turning ballots over to the Canvassing Board and keeping talking to a minimum were in place from the first. In our area the Republican observers came in with printouts of a Power Point presentation. The first day of counting went pretty normally -- and both sides kept track of the totals and any changes. By the second day the Republicans weren't keeping track of the changes, but were now all too concerned with chads. The Republican boss, on first name basis with "Greg," warned her observers over and over again about chads on the floor, pointing out little bits of paper. Each day it was clear that the Republican observers had a message du jour that came down from the top somewhere.

The counters themselves were amenable and most were accurate. The procedure itself kept them accurate. One table with inaccurate counters was split up and then observed closely by election officials. I would guess that most of the votes from that group were recounted.

It was eerily easy to discern the Republicans from the Democrats. The Democrats smiled more easily, the Republicans had tight mouths. My SO explained it to me. If you were a little kid lost in a mall, you would wind up going to a Democrat for help. At one table several Republicans said that they had hoity-toity relatives in Seattle. Lakoff talks about politics based on family structure. Here is another link -- these Republican siblings felt left behind.