41.   Democrats, putting their last hope on the manual recounts, have been playing for time in the hope that Gore would overtake Bush in the hand counts.

42.   For Gore, that means a full-blown legal contest of the Florida election results that he had desperately hoped to avoid by winning the hand counts overwhelmingly.

43.   Hand counts are commonly employed, in Texas and elsewhere, to discern voter intent.

44.   Hand counts begin in Palm Beach County, continue in Broward County and are considered by Miami-Dade.

45.   Gore also said he would abide by a statewide hand count if his opponent, Gov. George W. Bush, preferred that approach.

46.   Gore was winning in all four counties, and most observers believe he would likely gain more votes in a hand count.

47.   Harris had intended to issue the final results of the Florida vote on Saturday, excluding hand counts which are taking polace in some counties.

48.   He demanded that the local elections board halt the hand count until the case of the errant chads could be solved.

49.   He said he was not challenging the validity of hand counts on their face.

50.   He was also ignoring Florida law and Texas law that regard hand counts as a just recourse in contested elections.