Panel grants 5 state election recount requests

A state panel agreed Wednesday to recount votes in four Indiana House races, with the ultimate outcomes having the potential to threaten Democratic control of the chamber or widen the party's majority.\nThe Indiana Recount Commission also granted Libertarian Steve Osborn's request to re-tally ballots in 10 precincts in his race for the U.S. Senate against Dick Lugar, even though Osborn lost Nov. 7 by more than 1 million votes, and he acknowledged the recount gave him no chance of winning.\nDemocrats gained a 51-49 majority in the Indiana House, according to totals cited by the Secretary of State's office. Recount requests were made by three candidates who each lost by fewer than 30 votes and by former Republican incumbent Billy Bright of North Vernon, Ind., who challenged results that show he lost by about 1,600 votes.\nDemocrats can only lose their majority if a recount determines that Bright won and outcomes in the other three races stand. Even if a recount showed Bright winning, the ultimate authority for seating members in the Indiana House and Senate rests with those chambers, and Democrats have a majority in the House now.