Recount Affirms Sanchez’s Defeat of Dornan

An exhaustive and costly recount of votes requested by defeated Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) failed to uncover any major irregularities and will not affect the victory of Democrat Loretta Sanchez, Orange County officials said Friday.

Dornan picked up five additional votes after more than 160,000 ballots were recounted, but county Registrar of Voters Rosalyn Lever said the official tally, certified last month, will stand because the results of the race did not change. Sanchez officially won the election by 984 votes.

“There were no surprises,” Lever said. “We’re comfortable with the [electoral] process in Orange County.”

The recount cost Dornan, a nine-term congressman known for his outspoken conservative views, more than $10,000, according to his attorneys.

Since he lost, Dornan has charged that the election was tainted by fraud, that noncitizens voted and that absentee ballots were delivered in bulk in Latino neighborhoods. However, no evidence of such fraud turned up in the recount.

“The recount was a waste of time,” said Frederic D. Woocher, an attorney for Sanchez who observed the process. “They pored through every ballot that was counted, they had an opportunity to look at every roster, and they haven’t found a thing.”

Dornan could not be reached for comment. However, he and his attorneys have said they might take their allegations to court, the next available recourse. The deadline for filing a court challenge is Thursday.

Dornan attorney Bill Hart has said a court challenge could cost $100,000 to $150,000. Dornan has sent mailers to past supporters to raise money for his recount fund.