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Hillsborough Election Official Defends Counting Speed

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By TODD PRATT

Published: November 4, 2008

9:18 p.m.: Kathy Harris, chief of staff and general counsel for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Election Buddy Johnson, just made her first announcement of the night.

Though only 126 of 384 precincts were posted at 9:15 p.m., Harris refused to say Hillsborough is experiencing any delay in producing final vote tallies. She bristled at questions from reporters about the delays in posting additional precincts.

"You think it's taking a long time?" she asked. "We think we're doing very well. I don't get a sense it's taking a long time."

The next vote update isn't expected for 30 minutes, Harris said. There are still voting precincts open. Harris did not immediately know how many.

Other counties have been considerably faster in counting ballots. At 9:15 p.m., Hillsborough had reported on just 42 of 384 precincts, compared to Pasco with 154 of 154 and Pinellas with 357 of 376.

Harris said the problems experienced at the University of South Florida, where dozens of students were still waiting in line when polls closed at 7 p.m., were due to "a lot of students changing [their] address on Election Day."

Johnson was still at USF, Harris said.

John W. Allman

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