Election At A Glance

Here are Wednesday's developments in the Florida presidential election recount:

• In Washington, lawyers for George W. Bush and Al Gore submitted written arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is deciding on a Bush request to overturn a Florida Supreme Court ruling that allowed recounts beyond a deadline in state law. A hearing was set for Friday.

• In Palm Beach County, a judge barred a conservative legal group Wednesday from examining thousands of disputed ballots, clearing the way for the punchcards to be sent to the state capital.

• In Atlanta, the Florida Democratic Party filed a motion Tuesday asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss a Bush appeal, which seeks to disqualify manual recounts in Florida.

• A judge in Tallahassee turned down Gore's request for speedy hearings and ordered some 14,000 disputed ballots, sample voting booths and voting machines from Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties brought to his court by Friday. Bush's lawyers said the ballots have already been counted and it is time to wrap up the election.

• A judge set a Dec. 6 trial for a Democratic lawsuit accusing Republicans of tampering with 4,700 absentee ballot applications in Seminole County, near Orlando.

• Lawyers filed Florida Supreme Court briefs in a lawsuit over Palm Beach County's "butterfly ballot." Democrats said the ballot was so confusing that Gore voters mistakenly backed Reform Party presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan.

• Officials in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties began preparations Wednesday to ship thousands of ballots some 400 miles to Tallahassee.

• A Florida legislative committee began hearings on what to do if legal wrangling over an election drags on past the Dec. 12 deadline when the state must select its 25 electors.

• Gore told NBC's Today show he is "not tortured over 'what ifs' at all. And in fact I believe we are going to win this election." Gore said he expected the election dispute to be settled by mid-December.

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