A request for a manual hand count of all paper ballots and paper trails in the June 6th U.S. House Special Election in California's 50th congressional district was filed on July 5th at the San Diego County Registrar's office. The election was between Democratic candidate Francine Busby and Republican candidate Brian Bilbray.

The election is in question due to Diebold voting machines, both optical-scan and touch-screen, having been sent home overnight with poll workers for days and weeks prior to the election in violation of new state and federal laws which then effectively decertified all such voting machines as used during the special election.

It was the first federal race to be run since the new laws took effect.

An article with more details on this manual hand count request, and the costs being quoted to the requester, Barbara Gail Jacobson (nearly $130,000!) can be read here...

All BRAD BLOG articles concerning the Busby/Bilbray election fiasco can be read here...