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Perriello declares victory in Fifth District race, Goode won't concede yet

UPDATED 5:53 p.m. Friday

Virgil Goode isn't conceding the election.

While unofficial results have him trailing Perriello by several hundred votes, he says widespread irregularities have cast doubt on the reported totals.

At a news conference Friday afternoon in Rocky Mount, Virgil Goode says 20% of all precincts in the Fifth District had reporting errors. He and his team are still evaluating the election returns.

"Right now they are negative for us, but we still have some cautious optimism that a Charlottesville miracle will happen for our side like it happened for the other side," says Goode.

The Charlottesville miracle Goode is referring to involved several hundred paper ballots that weren't counted on election night.  Goode says there are other examples of reporting errors that raise questions about the process.
 
Reporters asked Goode for his reaction to Perriello's claim of victory.

"I think he's premature," he says.  "We won't have the certified results until November 24."

It appears that the margin will fall within a half percent of the total votes cast, which means if Virgil Goode requests a recount, the cities and counties in the Fifth District would pick up the tab.

Goode says he will decide by the November 24 whether he will request the recount.

UPDATED: 5:09 p.m. Friday

Here is a news release from Perriello's campaign:

Tom Perriello Declares Victory Surrounded by Family and Supporters
Perriello Vows to Fight for Jobs in Southside, Sets Transition in Motion

November 7, 2008-Martinsville, VA-In the same city where he launched his economic R.E.V.I.V.A.L. tour in July, Tom Perriello announced his election victory for the fifth congressional district and set in motion his transition to represent working families in Washington.

"With the votes in and the extensive bipartisan canvass process effectively complete, the results are clear: Virginians want change in Washington to get this economy turned around," Perriello said on Friday at his campaign office. "I am proud and humbled to be elected as the next congressman from the fifth district of Virginia."

"In these tough economic times, it's time to roll up our sleeves and get things done for Southside and Central Virginians. We have no time to waste. Today, I am beginning the transition process, so that I'm ready on day one to get our economy back on track and bring jobs back to our communities," Perriello continued. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Congressman Goode and his long history of service to the district. As the next Congressman, I plan to travel the district and fight for working families in Washington. We need to put partisanship aside and work together to create jobs here at home and turn this economy around."

Perriello's transition effort will be led by former fifth district congressman L.F. Payne.

UPDATED: 3:35 p.m. Friday

During a news conference, "Perriello said the outcome is certain.  We will win this race"  The State Board of Elections says Tom Perriello has 158,703 votes and Virgil Goode has 157,958 votes.

3:30 p.m. Friday

The State Board of Elections says Tom Perriello has 158,703 votes and Virgil Goode has 157,958 votes.

1:40 p.m. Friday

Congressman Virgil Goode issued a statement saying that voting irregularities in his district cast doubt on the reported vote totals.  He cites misplaced paper ballots and tape recordings from electronic machines and miscalculations in vote tallies as evidence of irregularities.

(Click here to see a history of the changes made to the vote totals since election day)

The latest results from the State Board of Elections shows Goode's opponent, Tom Perriello with a 648 vote lead. 

Goode says his campaign will continue to fight to make sure every vote is accurately counted. 

Statement from Rep. Virgil Goode for Congress

Rocky Mount, VA - Rep. Virgil Goode issued the following statement today in regards to the ongoing vote count process in the 5^th Congressional District of Virginia:

"With the vote counting process almost complete, it has become clear that there have been a number of reporting irregularities - including the misplacement of paper ballets and tape records from electronic machines and miscalculations in vote tallies. In fact, almost 20% of all the voting precincts in the district had reporting errors.

While current unofficial tallies have me trailing my opponent, these irregularities have cast doubt on the reported totals. It is essential that we get to the bottom of these problems and insist on a thorough and proper vote counting process. We will continue to fight to make sure that every single legitimate vote in the 5^th District is accurately counted and reported."
 

11:35 a.m. Friday

Congressman Virgil Goode has scheduled a news conference at 1:30 this afternoon to discuss the ongoing canvassing of precincts to determine the actual vote in the 5th District race.

Democratic challenger Tom Perriello will be returning to his campaign office in Martinsville this afternoon.  According to numbers posted by the State Board of Elections, Perriello leads Goode by 648 votes.

YESTERDAY

The numbers in the 5th District race between Democrat Tom Perriello and incumbent Republican Virgil Goode have been changing all day.  That's because new information is coming in from precincts across the 5th District, where election officials are canvassing for votes. 

New votes have turned up, and most of them have gone to Perriello.  What's happening now is not a recount; they're simply verifying the original numbers.

As Campbell County's Electoral Board reads off the numbers, volunteers from the Goode and Perriello campaigns are there to write it all down.

"Last night, I think we gave up about 6:30 so we could get a little bit of sleep," says Chuck Falwell with the Campbell County Electoral Board.

Every vote is examined closely.  Sometimes, the process turns up nothing, other times new votes are found.  In Charlottesville, several hundred paper ballots were located in two precincts.  It all has the potential to change the race, one voters like Richard Beard can't believe is so close.  He voted for Virgil Goode.
 
"I expected it to be a runaway as it started out to be," says Beard.

Beard is talking about polls that showed Tom Perriello down 30 points in August.
 
Mary Shelton supported the Democrat, but even if he wins, she still thinks there should be a recount if the results are close.
 
"This way there can be no question that the vote was legitimate," she says.

Beard agrees.

"I think as close as it is, it would be the smart thing to do for both candidates," he says.

So, when will we have a real winner in this race?  We'll have some idea when the State Board of Elections certifies the final results of Tuesday's vote.  That will happen once all the canvassing is done.  If the numbers are still close, that's when we might hear talk of a recount.

Timeline of 5th District Race