Iowa canvass two-thirds done

The final third of Iowa’s counties are doing their canvass today, making the votes in last week’s presidential election official. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley wouldn’t guess about whether the candidate he supported, republican George W-Bush, would request a recount in Iowa. Grassley says Bush is focused on Florida now, not any of the other states Gore narrowly won.While Grassley hopes Bush wins the White House, he acknowledges it may happen with Bush only winning the electoral vote. While recounts and canvasses are now underway, Grassley doubts Bush will make enough headway to claim the popular vote.While many critics have discussed the abolition of the Electoral College, Grassley says the process was well built by America’s founding fathers. He says one example of its benefit is the 1960 presidential election in which voter fraud was widespread in Chicago and other parts of Illinois. Grassley says the Electoral College works to limit large-scale vote fraud and it should remain.After yesterday’s canvass of about two-thirds of Iowa’s counties, democrat Al Gore’s lead over republican George W-Bush was cut by about 900 votes to 41-hundred-80.Once all the votes are in, Grassley is hopeful he’ll be named chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee next month. He’s currently the number-two republican on the panel.The current Senate Finance Committee chairman, Delaware Senator William Roth, lost his re-election bid last week, creating the vacancy. Committee assignments and chairmanships will be assigned next month at the Republican Party Caucus in Washington D-C.