Today, I observed a recount for the first time - that of Aaron Lavallee's. It was fascinating for a number of reasons, and although the outcome of the election did not change - Aaron's opponent remained victorious - I learned a lot and look forward to participating more and more in our democratic processes.

A couple of things struck me this morning. One is the absolute necessity of having observers, the other the strange combinations voters came up with.

Re: observers... This being my first recount, I didn't know what to expect. So here's a little description for others who may not have done this before either. Basically, a team of two people (or several teams of two) go through stacks of ballots; one announces the votes, while the other marks them down on a piece of paper. It is very easy to mistake a straight-ticket vote for a no vote if the "announcer" isn't paying close attention. It is also very easy for the "announcer" to get ahead of the "recorder" or for the "recorder" to mark a vote under the wrong person's name. This is what makes observers so crucial. Although, I did not challenge any votes (the ones I observed were very straightforward), I did make sure the "announcer" slowed down when the "recorder" was falling behind. Without observers, mistakes can - and are - frequently made. And there is no recount to a recount...

Re: strange voter combinations... The majority of the ballots I saw this morning were split tickets. Many people voted for one Democrat state rep and one Republican state rep, sometimes for the incumbents, sometimes for the challengers. Many were bullet votes. Some had Kerry at the top of the ticket, then Benson, Granny D, and Bass. Some had Bush, then Lynch. Some just voted for George Bush and Aaron Lavallee! This really reinforced to me that New Hampshire citizens are not idealogues, and that we are truly independent, a quality I really respect.

All in all, it was a good morning, despite the outcome. I encourage anyone who hasn't observed a recount to do so - even if you don't know who the candidate is. It's a critical component of our democratic process - and it will make you feel good knowing you have helped to ensure that all votes really do count in New Hampshire!