Postal ballots stay live

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court yesterday rejected an appeal asking for thousands of absentee ballots to be invalidated from two Florida counties, shutting down a legal threat to Republican George W. Bush's claim to the state's pivotal electoral votes.

The ruling rejected Democrats' claims that 25,000 absentee ballots from Seminole and Martin counties should be voided because application forms used to obtain the ballots were altered by Republican operatives.

Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters said that in the Seminole County case the high court agreed with a lower court that "the evidence does not support a finding of fraud, gross negligence or intentional wrongdoing in connection with any absentee ballots."

In the Martin County case, Waters said: "The trial court in this case concluded that there were irregularities but they did not reach the level of fraud or intentional misconduct. Accordingly the trial court found that the sanctity of the ballot was not impaired."

The Florida Supreme Court agreed, leaving Bush's state lead intact.

- REUTERS

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