ANCHESTER, N.H. - Democracy, John F. Kennedy once said, is not perfect.
The secretary of state's office here, in the process of proofreading and vote certification, discovered errors that changed vote tallies - but not the outcome - in the presidential race.
And while New Hampshire, with its thin margin of victory for Governor George W. Bush of Texas, has been mentioned as a state where a presidential recount might be considered, none had been requested as of the 5 p.m. filing deadline yesterday.
Vice President Al Gore gained 227 votes for a total of 266,348. Bush lost 731 for a total of 273,559. The initial tally showed a 8,169-vote spread between them. The official tally narrowed that gap to 7,211, said Secretary of State William M. Gardner.
New Hampshire has just four electoral votes.
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Kathy Sullivan said that ''despite this little burp today,'' no recount request would be made in the presidential race. She said she contacted the Gore campaign with the news. But, Sullivan, said, ''It's still a 7,200 spread and they're doing the responsible thing - the focus is on Florida. I think people do want some certainty and finality, and I think that's what we're seeing here.''
Gardner said that, in one instance, an error was made in copying vote totals from a Nashua ward into a computer program. Bush had received 1,000-plus votes in every ward except one, where he received 754. But when that result was copied at the secretary of state's office, it was copied as ''1,754'' - giving Bush 1,000 extra votes.
Gardner said the error was unintentional and caught in the proofreading process yesterday.
In another instance, Gardner said, some towns did not record straight-ticket votes properly.
The town of Lyman, in the North Country and surrounded by Republican-stronghold towns carried easily by Bush, went inexplicably to Gore.
''I said `Wait a minute. I know Lyman,''' Gardner said yesterday. Sure enough, straight-ticket votes had been recorded separately instead of having been added into the totals in Lyman and nearby Warren. Bush picked up votes when straight ticket votes were added, Gardner said.
Gardner said it is not unusual for errors to be caught and corrected in the proofreading and certification process.
While the errors did not affect the presidential race, a recount was requested in a State Senate race yesterday. A total of 26 recounts have now been requested in close local races in New Hampshire.
Four other states had a very close presidential race and are now facing the possibility of a recount.
In Iowa, Gore leads by 4,285 votes out of nearly 1.3 million cast. Yesterday, county officials began examining their vote totals before declaring the results official. The Bush campaign has yet to request a full recount. The counties are expected to finish their canvassing today. All requests for a recount must be made to a county within three days of the canvass - either Thursday or Friday.
Bush leads by 121 out of more than 571,000 voted cast in New Mexico, where officials have until Friday to finish counting 370 ''in-lieu-of'' ballots, votes belonging to people who requested absentee ballots but did not receive them. In-lieu-of ballots are checked against absentee ballots and are counted only if there is not already an absentee ballot for that voter.
In Oregon, Gore leads by 4,846 votes out of nearly 1.4 million cast, with 99 percent of votes counted. A recount would be required by state law if the margin falls to less than one-fifth of 1 percent, or about 2,800 votes. If a recount is called, it is expected to be held the first week of December.
Gore leads in Wisconsin by 6,099 votes out of 2.5 million cast, where the Bush campaign has not ruled out a recount.
