TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In a further blow to Democrat Al Gore's dwindling hopes of capturing the presidency, two Florida judges rejected Friday bids by Democratic voters to throw out thousands of absentee ballots in two counties.

Had the lawsuits succeeded, Gore could have overturned Republican George W. Bush's slim 537-vote lead in Florida.

Leon County Circuit court administrator Terre Cass told reporters the integrity of the election was not compromised in Seminole and Martin County despite irregularities.

"The election results reflect a full and fair expression of the will of the voters," Cass said. "Accordingly all relief requested by the plaintiffs has been denied."

In two separate lawsuits, Democratic voters asked the courts to throw out all 25,000 absentee ballots in Florida's Seminole and Martin counties.

As Cass read the decision in the courthouse, a cheer went up from Bush supporters standing at the back of the room.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Martin County case immediately filed an appeal.

The decision was another blow to Gore who, more than one suspense-filled month on from Election Day, is still fighting in court to have thousands of disputed ballots reviewed by hand in the hope that it could reverse Bush's certified win.

A Supreme Court ruling on his campaign's appeal against a lower court's rejection of that bid was pending on Friday afternoon. It is seen as his last realistic chance of becoming the 43rd president of the United States.

Although Gore had not joined two separate lawsuits contesting absentee ballots in Martin and Seminole counties, he had signaled his support of the legal challenge.

The lawsuits were heard in two trials in the state capital Tallahassee this week. The judges held marathon sessions because of the looming deadlines for Florida to pick its 25 electors.

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The electors will have the decisive say in the national Electoral College meeting on Dec 18 to pick the next president because their votes would give either Bush or Gore the 270 needed to clinch the prize.

The suits were filed after the top elections officials in the two counties, both Republicans, allowed party operatives to write in voter registration numbers on absentee ballot applications that otherwise would have been voided by the elections office for being incomplete or containing the wrong identification number "The trial courts in both the Seminole County case and the Martin County case have determined that despite irregularities in the requests for absentee ballots, neither the sanctity of the ballots nor the integrity of the election has been compromised, and that the election results reflect a full and fair expression of the will of the voters," Cass said.

Both sides have said they would immediately appeal the ruling to the Florida Supreme Court. Gerald Richman, attorney for Seminole County plaintiff Harry Jacobs, said after the ruling: "We believe we're right. We respectfully disagree with the judge's findings."

"We intend to take this up, presumably right up to the (state) Supreme Court."

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