Deadline? What Deadline?
There were no "dog-ate-my-homework" excuses, but as sure as the check's in the mail, some states who missed Tuesday's deadline said their list of presidential electors is on the way to the National Archives.
Only 29 states and the District of Columbia met the deadline to the archives, the federal record-keeper of the Electoral College.
"It's apparently not worked its way through the Christmas mail," Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh said of his state's list of six electors, sent certified mail.
He and other state elections officials weren't too worried the lists did not get to the archives in time. For them, the Dec. 12 deadline wasn't a real deadline anyway.
"The key date is to have the electors on the 18th," said Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin. Massachusetts hasn't submitted its list yet.
Historically, the Electoral College vote has been largely ceremonial. But with Vice President Al Gore and George W. Bush vying for a handful of votes since the Nov. 7 election to win the presidency, the tallies have taken on more importance this year.
Tuesday's deadline, established by federal law, gives states protection from challenges in Congress. Electors will gather in state capitals Monday to choose the president and vice president.
The Dec. 12 deadline "establishes a presumption of validity" about the credentials of a state's electors, said Michael White, the Electoral College expert at the archives.
"Meeting the deadline creates a safe harbor. But missing the deadline does not disqualify the electors or their votes."
White said the law does not set penalties if the deadline is missed, but says lists of electors should be sent to the archives "as soon as practicable" on or after Dec. 12.
Thornburgh said he wasn't worried about a challenge. Kansas' electors all are staunch Republicans, chosen in May by the state GOP committee. Bush carried Kansas with 58 percent of the vote.
New Hampshire's list also was sent certified mail and had not been received. "As far as I know, we've done everything we're supposed to do," Secretary of State Bill Gardner said. Bush beat Gore by 7,211 votes in New Hampshire.
West Virginia also sent its list and officials were surprised to learn it hadn't been received.
"I believed they were submitted on time," said Bill Harrington, chief of staff for the secretary of state's office.
By law, Congress counts the votes during the first week of January.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, brother of the Republican candidate, submitted his state's slate on Nov. 26, when Florida's secretary of state certified Bush the winner of the state by 537 votes. Gore had challenged the Florida results in court.
Federal law says if a state has made a final determination of any controversy or contest at least six days before the electors meet, or by Dec. 12, then that determination "shall be conclusive."
By LEIGH STROPE
© 2000, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed