Campaigns lawyered up in case of election overtime

CURT ANDERSON STEPHEN BRAUN Associated Press Published:

MIAMI (AP) -- Both President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney have legions of lawyers ready with control of the White House in the balance on Election Day. One nightmare scenario would be results in a battleground state like Florida or Ohio too close to call, with thousands of absentee or provisional ballots yet to be counted.

Experts say the key is whether the difference in votes between the two candidates is within what's known as the "margin of litigation." That means the number of outstanding votes must be much greater than the margin separating Obama and Romney when the smoke clears. And, it must be in a state that's decisive.

Attorneys on both sides are poised at both the national level and in the key states to respond immediately.