And Bush's counsel are worried about the specific counties in which Gore has asked for a recount.

They include Volusia County, northeast of Orlando, where approximately 115,000 ballots must be sifted.

Marcie B. Bianco '02, a member of the executive board of the Harvard College Democrats, expressed skepticism about the Bush campaign's response.

"I don't want to say it's a right wing conspiracy but it makes you wonder," she said. "I don't see the big deal [about a hand recount] if Bush is so sure of his victory."

Yesterday, Gore lawyers asked officials in Osceola County, a marshy and diverse square south of Orlando, to look at every ballot. They alleged that Hispanic voters were told to produce two forms of state identification, when state law requires only one.

Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who is Gore's lead counsel in the recount effort, said the campaign chose those counties not because they had the potential to tip the balance but because "there were anomalies there."

On the Internet and through hastily-called press conference with reporters, prominent Republicans denounced the Democratic efforts as partisan, dangerous and divisive.