4:31 p.m. Dec. 10 (AP)
As the Electoral College prepares to certify President Bush's re-election on Monday, concerns persist about the integrity of the nation's voting system – particularly in Ohio, where details continue to emerge of technology failures, voter confusion and overcrowded polling stations in minority and poor neighborhoods.

Few mainstream politicians dispute Bush's victory, and the incumbent's 3.5 million-vote margin nationwide was wider than any of the reported problems, which included insufficient or incomplete provisional ballots and, in some places, brazen partisan shenanigans.

Dec. 9 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A mayor at last: San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy survived a month of legal maneuvering to be sworn in for a second term yesterday afternoon, but he didn't celebrate for long: Within hours, supporters of Councilwoman Donna Frye asked for a recount that could lead to another lawsuit.

WASHINGTON, 1:54 p.m. Dec. 9 (AP)
MoveOn to Democratic Party: 'We bought it, we own it': Liberal powerhouse MoveOn has a message for the "professional election losers" who run the Democratic Party: "We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back."

WASHINGTON, 7:04 a.m. Dec. 9 (AP)
President keeps HUD, Interior, Labor and Transportation secretaries: President Bush has asked the secretaries of the Transportation, Labor, Interior and Housing departments to remain and they have all agreed, completing decisions about which Cabinet members will stay for his second term.

WASHINGTON, 1:47 p.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Democrat threatens to disrupt Treasury nominations over Cuba trade: A Senate Democrat threatened Wednesday to block the president's Treasury Department appointments as the Bush administration reconsiders a rule for companies that sell food and agricultural products to Cuba.

WASHINGTON, 2:06 p.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Democratic congressman, Jackson vow to continue inquiry of Ohio vote: A Democratic congressman and Jesse Jackson said Wednesday they will continue to investigate complaints of election irregularities in Ohio, but they won't call for a delay in the official certification process.

WASHINGTON, 2:48 p.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Dean urges Democrats to stick to their convictions after losing election: Howard Dean, with an eye on leading the Democratic Party in the wake of widespread election losses, said Wednesday that Democrats must campaign on their convictions and not give into the temptation to behave like Republicans.

WASHINGTON, 3:02 p.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Sharpton got $86,715 in travel, consulting fees to campaign for Kerry: All of John Kerry's one-time rivals in the Democratic presidential primary eventually lined up to support him as the nominee, but only one got paid for it – Al Sharpton.

WASHINGTON, 1:48 p.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
President keeps Treasury secretary in Cabinet, for now: Treasury Secretary John Snow, an aggressive champion of the administration's economic policies, accepted President Bush's offer Wednesday to remain in the Cabinet.

WASHINGTON, 12:54 p.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Congress nears final approval of Sept. 11 intelligence overhaul: Congress on Wednesday moved to replace the nation's Cold War intelligence network with a 21st century structure requiring military and civilian spy agencies to work together to combat terrorists intent on holy war against America.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., 8:26 a.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Poll: Three-fourths of Florida voters believe ballots were counted correctly: Most Florida voters had no problem casting a ballot on Election Day and many say they are confident their vote was counted correctly, a poll shows.

WASHINGTON, 8:35 a.m. Dec. 8 (AP)
Edwards to be keynote speaker at New Hampshire Democratic Party event: Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, will headline an annual New Hampshire Democratic Party fund-raiser in February.

Dec. 8 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Mayor ready for end to election wrangle: Twenty-one months ago, Dick Murphy signed up for a re-election bid suited to his personality: low-key, methodical, no sudden moves.

ALBANY, N.Y., 2:35 p.m. Dec. 7 (AP)
New York Attorney General seeking Democratic nomination for governor: New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, whose white-collar crime investigations have sent a shudder through Wall Street, announced Tuesday he is running for governor in 2006.

12:44 p.m. Dec. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Court rejects S.D. mayoral election suit: A state appeals court lifted its hold on the certification of the San Diego mayor's race today, apparently clearing the way for Mayor Dick Murphy to be sworn in for a second term.

LANSING, Mich., 1:11 p.m. Dec. 7 (AP)
Former Michigan governor considering running for the DNC post: Former Gov. James Blanchard said Tuesday he is considering entering the race for Democratic National Committee chairman.

WASHINGTON, 1:41 p.m. Dec. 7 (AP)
Advocacy groups highlight voting problems, urge improvements: Despite President Bush's clear margin of victory in the 2004 presidential race, voting and civil rights advocates say the election did not go as smoothly as Americans might think.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, 2:13 p.m. Dec. 7 (AP)
Recount requested in Ohio: With support from John Kerry's campaign, two third-party candidates for president officially asked on Tuesday for a recount in Ohio, the state that put President Bush over the top in November.

WASHINGTON, 7:32 a.m. Dec. 7 (AP)
House Republicans putting final stamp on intelligence bill: A long-delayed bill overhauling the nation's intelligence agencies is nearing passage now that President Bush and House Armed Services chairman Duncan Hunter have endorsed a compromise guaranteeing battlefield commanders access to top-secret information.

WASHINGTON, 1:31 p.m. Dec. 6 (AP)
Democrats launch investigation of voting problems in Ohio: The Democratic Party said Monday it will examine reports of voting problems in Ohio, where President Bush's victory clinched his re-election.

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Burton used mastery of politics in long career: John Burton may be a Democrat and a liberal, but he's no girlie man. At a time when Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger uses the term "girlie man" to criticize Democrats as being wimpy or wishy-washy, Burton is a tough, uncompromising, even profane warrior for the poor and the powerless.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, 12:00 p.m. Dec. 5 (AP)
New round of challenges expected as Ohio certifies vote Monday: Two major challenges are expected to unfold Monday when Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell certifies the state's final presidential election results, declaring President Bush the winner by about 119,000 votes.

WASHINGTON, 11:26 p.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
Bush's two big foreign aid programs at critical juncture: Amid the discord over administration foreign policy, President Bush has won wide acclaim for two initiatives: helping overseas AIDS victims and countries that adopt democratic reforms.

Dec. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Mayor to swear in five S.D. officials: This much is certain: A new San Diego city attorney and four council members re-elected to second terms are to be sworn in tomorrow. A mayor won't be.

VISTA, Dec. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
North Vista backed Lopez for council: Frank Lopez, this city's first Latino council member, swept practically every precinct in the north half of Vista in the Nov. 2 election, while the two closest candidates got strong support in the south, according to an analysis of final vote totals.

CHULA VISTA, Dec. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Castaņeda says council must shift focus: City Councilman-elect Steve Castaņeda wants to get the city refocused on residents and their quality of life.

CHULA VISTA, Dec. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Commissioners uncertain about role in projects: Planning Commissioner Vicki Madrid was channel surfing last week when she caught part of the taped City Council meeting from the night before. That's how she learned that her group's power had been severely curtailed.

WASHINGTON, 2:11 p.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
Thompson warns of vulnerabilities to terrorists, flu on his way out Cabinet door: Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced his resignation on Friday, warning as he left of dangers from a global flu outbreak and a possible terror attack on the nation's food supply.

OLYMPIA, Wash., 3:50 p.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
Democrats will finance manual recount of votes in close race for Wash. governor: Washington Democrats will pay for a second recount in the state's unsettled governor's race, hoping it will erase the 42-vote margin held by Republican Dino Rossi.

Dec. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Suit challenging Frye's candidacy to be argued in Santa Ana court today: A state appeals court ordered lawyers involved in the San Diego mayoral election litigation to report to a Santa Ana courthouse today to argue a lawsuit challenging the write-in candidacy of Councilwoman Donna Frye and the legality of the election.

WASHINGTON, 2:23 p.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
Rumsfeld to remain at the Pentagon: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, whose future has been in doubt amid spreading violence and U.S. deaths in Iraq, was asked by President Bush on Friday to remain at the Pentagon in the administration's second term, a senior official said.

HELIX, Ore., 1:54 p.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
In small Oregon towns, write-in elections take root: Politics doesn't get much more local than in this small northeastern Oregon town, where leisurely conversations can be held in the middle of Main Street without fear of oncoming cars.

WASHINGTON, 1:58 p.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
Bush to appeal one last time for Congress to pass intelligence bill: President Bush will make a final appeal to Congress to find a way to pass legislation before the end of the year that would make the Sept. 11 commission's terror-fighting recommendations law, White House officials said Friday.

SOLANA BEACH, Dec. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Departing councilmen leave shoreline legacy: On Tuesday night, City Councilmen Tom Golich and Doug Sheres will step down, leaving behind legacies of staunch environmentalism.

WASHINGTON, 11:47 p.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
Democratic National Committee edges GOP in fund raising: The Republicans kept the White House and control of Congress this year, but the Democratic National Committee can take solace in an unexpected victory: It outraised its GOP rival by millions of dollars.

SACRAMENTO, 12:15 a.m. Dec. 3 (AP)
Reclusive millionaire quietly tops Schwarzenegger donors: He's spent his millions on exotic show horses, a home for retired chimpanzees – and California's actor-governor.

WASHINGTON, 11:50 p.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
Filibusters an old Senate tradition that Republicans want changed: Senate Republicans are preparing to bring out the heavy weapons against the filibuster, a Senate tradition that has its linguistic origins in the pirates who once captured ships and held their crews for ransom.

WASHINGTON, 11:40 p.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
Bush, GOP playing for keeps with Hispanics: Election gains among Hispanic voters and two high-profile Cabinet appointments make it clear President Bush and the Republicans are playing for keeps with the nation's fastest growing minority group.

WASHINGTON, 3:49 p.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
Bush names former N.Y. police commissioner Kerik to Homeland Security post: President Bush has chosen former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who helped direct the emergency response to the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes against the Twin Towers, to lead the Homeland Security Department, charged with safeguarding Americans from future attack, administration officials said Thursday.

Dec. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Frye in position to score a victory whether she fights on or bows out: The time is fast approaching for Donna Frye to choose: Stand and fight, or step aside.

SAN DIEGO, 3:12 p.m. Dec. 2 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Vargas: Will introduce legislation to drop 'bubble' requirement on ballots: Assemblyman Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, said Thursday he will introduce legislation next week to repeal the state law that requires the "bubble" to be filled in on ballots next to the name of write-in candidates.

WASHINGTON, 2:41 p.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
Democratic governors to back an outside-the-Beltway centrist to lead party: Democratic governors, determined to grab control of their party, said Thursday they will jointly support moderate candidates from outside Washington to lead the Democrats.

OLYMPIA, Wash., 3:00 p.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
Democrat gubernatorial candidate in Washington state urges hand recount of entire state: The Democratic gubernatorial candidate – trailing her GOP rival by just 42 votes – on Thursday urged her party to order a statewide hand recount of all 2.8 million votes for governor, regardless of the cost.

SAN FRANCISCO, 6:44 a.m. Dec. 2 (AP)
After election setback, progressive political organizing group MoveOn girds for battles ahead: After President Bush won re-election, many political observers expected MoveOn.org to move into retreat. The sentiment surrounding the liberal online powerhouse was neatly summed up by the satire publication The Onion in its spoof headline: "MoveOn CurlsUp InCorner."

Dec. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Certifying the vote for mayor still iffy: A series of unusual events in the San Diego mayor's race could lead to something more atypical this weekend: The City Council meeting on a Saturday.

CHULA VISTA, Dec. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Council member to be honored at meeting: In her eight years on the City Council, Mary Salas rarely censored her comments.

VISTA, Dec. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
An eye on Vista's image: He speaks Spanish and sells Mexican food from his South Santa Fe Avenue restaurant, but incoming City Councilman Frank Lopez Jr. said that does not make him the Latino lobbyist on the council.

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Election surprise actually an error: A reporting error by San Diego County briefly caused a state Web site to incorrectly show that Proposition 72, a health insurance ballot measure defeated on Election Day, had actually been approved by voters.

WASHINGTON, 2:24 p.m. Dec. 1 (AP)
Democratic governors determined to assert leadership of beleaguered party: Democratic governors hope to wrest control of their beleaguered party and make their homegrown policies, tactics and political organizations a key to reversing Republican gains.

Dec. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Court halts mayor vote certification: A state appeals court blocked the certification of the vote in the San Diego mayor's race yesterday, breathing new life into a suit contesting the legality of the election.

VISTA, Dec. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Vollmer wins fire board seat by 4 votes: In a battle of incumbents, Lance Vollmer edged out Ron Wootton for a seat on the Vista Fire Protection District board, according to official results posted yesterday by the county registrar of voters.

Dec. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
County's turnout for presidential vote was the highest since 1980: More than three-quarters of San Diego County's registered voters cast ballots last month as voters turned out in high numbers for the presidential election. Of the county's 1.51 million voters, 75.66 percent voted in the Nov. 2 election. That was the highest turnout for a presidential election since 1980, when 77.61 percent of the registered voters cast ballots. In that election, Ronald Reagan defeated President Jimmy Carter.

OTTAWA, 3:21 p.m. Nov. 30 (AP)
Bush says he wants better relations with Canada but stands by his policies: President Bush tried on Tuesday to repair U.S.-Canada relations strained by years of bickering over trade and Iraq, although he stood by policies that have irritated Canadians.

7:10 p.m. Nov. 30 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Appeals court puts mayoral vote certification on hold: A state appeals court Tuesday halted the final certification of the vote count in the San Diego mayor's race just hours before Mayor Dick Murphy's reelection would have become official.

SACRAMENTO, 4:22 p.m. Nov. 30 (AP)
Burton hands out advice to Schwarzenegger, GOP on last day: On his last day as the state Senate's leader, John Burton suggested that California's budget problems won't be solved without a tax increase and that efforts to require businesses to provide employee health insurance will continue.

OLYMPIA, Wash., 2:01 p.m. Nov. 30 (AP)
GOP's Rossi: Washington's gov-elect, but not governor-for-sure: Republican Dino Rossi was certified as Washington's governor-elect on Tuesday, but the closest gubernatorial race in state history is far from over.

Nov. 30 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Challenges to Frye's candidacy continue: Almost four weeks after the polls closed Nov. 2, the post-election legal battles in the San Diego mayor's race advanced on two fronts yesterday as those opposed to Councilwoman Donna Frye's write-in candidacy pressed their cases in federal and state courts.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, 2:13 p.m. Nov. 29 (AP)
Nearly one month after Election Day, Ohio ballot challenges continue: Nearly a month after John Kerry conceded Ohio to President Bush, complaints and challenges about the balloting are mounting as activists including the Rev. Jesse Jackson demand closer scrutiny to ensure the votes are being counted on the up-and-up.

ASHEVILLE, N.C., 5:47 p.m. Nov. 29 (AP)
Going, but not about to be forgotten: John Edwards bids farewell as U.S. senator, focuses on future: Beginning a three-day farewell tour as U.S. senator, John Edwards focused on the future Monday, vowing to help his wife during her treatment for breast cancer and carry on his own political activism.

SAN DIEGO, 1:19 p.m. Nov. 29 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Suit alleges Frye's candidacy unlawful: Court documents filed Monday allege that the results of the mayor's race in San Diego should not be certified because city officials conducted an unlawful election by allowing Donna Frye's write-in candidacy.

MIAMI, 11:24 a.m. Nov. 28 (AP)
Review shows three 'Democratic' counties in Florida really did vote for Bush: A newspaper's review of ballots cast in three north Florida counties where registered Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans showed just what officials reported: The counties' voters did on Election Day as they often do, voting for a Republican for president.

Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
New mayors of Baja California: The men who will take office Wednesday in Baja California's five largest cities include a multimillionaire racetrack operator, a retired director of a beer distributorship and longtime government officials.

SACRAMENTO, Nov. 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Initiative would tie spending to growth: If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wants to close a growing state budget gap without a tax increase, cannot persuade the Legislature to make spending cuts, he may have some outside leverage.

WASHINGTON, 9:46 a.m. Nov. 27 (AP)
Through the ages, a struggle to say something profound: Ask not why so few inaugural speeches resonate long after they are given. History always will remember Abraham Lincoln's appeal to the "better angels of our nature." History probably has forgotten President Bush's flowery declaration four short years ago that an "angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm."

CRAWFORD, Texas, 12:27 a.m. Nov. 27 (AP)
Bush calls on Americans to volunteer: President Bush issued a holiday-season call on Americans to volunteer and give to charity – "to share our blessings with the least among us."

DES MOINES, Iowa, 8:58 a.m. Nov. 27 (AP)
On radio, Democrats appeal for Americans to help the hungry: Growing numbers of Americans were hungry this Thanksgiving, and the nation should do more to help them enjoy its bounty, the Democrats said Saturday in their weekly radio address.

WASHINGTON, 9:03 a.m. Nov. 27 (AP)
WASHINGTON TODAY: When politicians' words come back to bite: President Bush says politicians should say what they mean. But doing so can sometimes be an invitation to disaster, as Arlen Specter, John Kerry, John Snow and Bush himself can attest.

Nov. 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Registrar KOs the ballot demons: The two countywide elections this year have been rough on Sally McPherson. As the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, McPherson has wrestled with one setback after another, from the failure of touch-screen voting during the March primary to a series of lawsuits challenging the Nov. 2 election.

Nov. 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Mayoral election marks time: San Diego's disputed mayoral election enters a holding pattern this holiday weekend, with no court action slated until next week and with write-in candidate Donna Frye planning to do some homework before announcing her intentions.