The lead went back to Mr Gore yesterday after Ms Rita Torres, the clerk in Dona Ana County, said election workers discovered they had misread a 600-vote absentee total for Mr Gore in one precinct as 100. Mr Gore has now netted another 500 votes. The New Mexico Republican Party is not challenging the 500-vote correction. Mr Gore leads in New Mexico by 374 votes with nearly 600,000 ballots cast, according to Associated Press. Final tallies are expected to be certified by November 28.
Candidates then have six days to seek a recount.
In Iowa, Mr Gore's margin has shrunk to about 4,000. One clerical error in Sioux County gave 895 votes to Mr Gore that should have gone to Mr Bush. A recount in any Iowa county could still be requested by either candidate before the week's end. In Oregon, Associated Press reports Mr Gore ahead by an unofficial 4,765 for that State's seven electoral votes, but with thousands of ballots still to be counted. Although Democrats have said they are confident they have won the State, Republicans have not conceded.