COVINGTON — A Northern Kentucky Republican Party strategist will travel to Florida today to help oversee the presidential vote recounting in Palm Beach County.

        Hayes Robertson, who man aged state Sen. Dick Roeding's winning campaign in the Nov. 7 election, will work with Florida GOP officials on the hand counting of ballots in the race between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore.

        The recounts are taking place in Palm Beach County and elsewhere in Florida because of the slim lead — less than 1,000 out of about 6 million votes cast — Mr. Bush has.

        The winner of Florida will decide the presidential race.

        “I'm excited about it,” said Mr. Robertson, who lived in Florida for five years before moving to Northern Kentucky in 1998. “I'm a little angry at the Gore campaign because as this goes on it is becoming more and more evident that George Bush has won the race and the presidency.”

        As of Tuesday Mr. Gore has netted just three votes with about one-fifth of the 531 Palm Beach County precincts counted in the Democratic-leaning coun ty.

        Volunteers from both parties are jointly overseeing the ballot counting, looking for irregularities and then pointing them out to election officials.

        Mr. Robertson learned of the assignment through his mother, who is active in Palm Beach GOP politics.

        “It's an opportunity to participate in something that is going to go down in history, so I'm really looking forward to it,” Mr. Robertson said. “Plus, I can spend Thanksgiving with my family while I'm there.

        “I just hope it turns out with George W. Bush becoming our next president,” he said.

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