2000 Recount Controversy

It doesn’t take a political expert to see that the 2000 presidential election between Bush and Gore was extremely illegitimate. This can be observed through the recount incident which took place in the state of Florida. Many people, especially seniors, felt that they had not voted for the right candidate, which was due to a confusing ballot setup. The ballots were called “butterfly ballots”. These ballots, as one could imagine, had candidates on either side which the voter could choose from. Seems simple enough, right? Unfortunately, that was not the case. The font on the ballots were extremely minuscule, as well as condensed. To add to that, the voter had to use a pin to make a puncture next to their selection. Some people, who were either

The 2000 President Election isn’t considered to be the typical election that occurs every four years in our society. I am opening up the discussion of this important topic in American presidential history by first sharing a fact that not many people may know: there have been three previous presidential elections in which one candidate won the popular vote but not the electoral vote and lost the election. The 2000 Presidential Election was considered to be one of the most highly contested elections in presidential election history (Summary). The election was between Governor George W. Bush (R-TX) and Vice President Al Gore (D-TN). On Election Day night, news stations across the country were all giving an early win of Florida to Gore and

People went to bed one night thinking that Gore had won, but when they woke up they found out that bush had won with Florida’s twenty-five electoral votes. It happened on November 7, 2000. Bush charged that the recounts in Florida broke the rules of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. A 7-2 majority ruled that the Florida recount was being conducted unconstitutionally. The case was covered in controversy as the Majority versus minority opinion on the redress was split along the lines of the more reactionary justices voting in favor of Bush and the more liberal justices voting in favor of Gore. The minority disunity noted these issues and other including the principle of equality and

A number of Americans fail to realize that when they vote they are not voting for the president and vice-president directly, but for electors who then cast their ballots in the Electoral College. Until the recent battle between Gov. George W. Bush and Vice-president Al Gore for the presidency, this new generation of American voters has never witnessed a controversial election. Historically, there have been problematic elections allowing voters to question this system. The Electoral College is now a process open to criticism and debate, specifically because many do not understand its origin or purpose today. On November 7, 2000, Election Day, I was excited to become an official voter.

It was shown that over half of the votes were not even taken or used in the entirety of the election. Meaning that many votes weren't even considered to be counted for the people who waited hours in line to have their opinion heard, did not get a single say in their future president.

The United States Presidential elections are often events that captivate and interest a number of people around the world. The 2000 U.S. presidential election was particularly notable for more than one reason. Certainly, the fact that an election year in the year 2000, the marking of the next millennium and next century, is significant in of itself. In addition, there were a number of critical issues facing the candidates in this election, as with any election. The role, presence, and influence of the United States media were additional factors that heightened the tension of the 2000 presidential election. The election itself was fraught with controversy. The Supreme Court had to be involved and render a ruling with respect to accusation of fraudulent vote counting. Overall, the 2000 United States Presidential Election is an election that is remembered for controversy, polarization of the American public, as well as issues of confusion and mistrust between the American public and the American government.

As in the past, the media was covering the all important election. They had always relied on exit polls as the polls closed across the nation. In reality, the Florida results were just too close to call. Nevertheless, that did not stop the media from doing so. Not once, but twice, major news media outlets were erroneous in their report. Around 8pm, it was declared that Al Gore was the projected winner of the electoral votes in the state of Florida. However, a couple of hours later, the projection was retracted and restated as Florida as being too close to call. Then, just after 2am on November 8, the mistake was made for a second time. The major networks declared George W. as the winner. This even led to Al Gore calling the Governor to concede. However, as Gore prepared to address his supporters in Nashville, Tennessee, he was alert to the shrinking numbers in Bush¡¦s lead. The final total was now less than one half of a percent lead in favor of Bush. That immediately calls for a recount of votes under state law. Subsequently, Gore called Bush and retracted his concession. It wasn¡¦t over yet! One thing was, Al Gore had prevailed in the popular vote but without Florida¡¦s tally, the electoral vote was up in the air. The election wasn¡¦t over and the recounts began.

The election of 2000 was a very tight battle. This particular election came down to the state of Florida. Florida had 25 electoral votes at the time, so this state was extremely important. Nationwide, Al Gore lead George W. Bush by roughly 500,000 votes. This may seem like a large margin, but the race was not over. Gore still needed the correct amount of electoral votes. Ultimately, Bush won the election and served two terms as President of the United States. If you take a look at the numbers and the specific circumstances of this race, it is hard to believe that this race was legitimate. First and foremost, the state of Florida purged 20,000 registered voters and did not allow them cast their votes. Normally, this would affect both candidates.

During the election night there was uncertainty of who was the next president. After saying that Gore had won Florida and was then named president, more results came in and the news retracted what they said then named Bush as the winner of Florida and president. Even more results came in and the news also retracted that claiming it was too close to call.

Nationwide, Al Gore won over George W. Bush by 500,000 votes. When the polls closed, Gore had acquired 266 electoral votes, losing to Bush’s 271 electoral votes. At this point, the election came down to Florida; a mandatory recount was ordered by the Florida Supreme Court, on the standards that the “hanging chad” – ballots the voter has not punched all the way through – were to be counted. After the recount, it was declared that Bush was ahead in the election by 1, 784 votes. But, just after Gore made his concession call, Bush’s votes had decreased to about 327, with four major counties still pending recounts. Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, also a co-chairman of Bush campaign, ordered for recounts to be stopped. Eventually, the issue was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the fate of the election would be decided.

Everything from the machinations of the party to the actions of their voters, such as the riots that had slowed the recount and thus eliminated what precious little time it was allowed[3,4], lead to the slow yet eventual death of Gore’s chance at the presidency. The entirety of the affair was rigged in opposition of the Democrats, yet even so the race was considered

There was a very unusual election in 2000. The two running mates were George Bush and Al Gore. At first cnn had declared Al Gore the President of the United States and then later on changed it to George Bush. After a little while later they changed it to too close to call. There was a big controversy on who the President of the United States was, it all came down to Florida.

It was a cold November day as people gathered around their television, eagerly awaiting the news of the 2000 Presidential election. Would the victor be Texas governor George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore? It was a close election, with Bush only leading by 537 votes. “The 2000 presidential election was the first in 112 years in which a president lost the popular vote, but captured enough states to win the electoral vote.” (The Disputed Election) However, if the majority of eligible Americans would have voted, the outcome may have been different. Throughout American history, the number of voting participants diminishes. According to Warren E. Miller, “[n]early 63 percent of the voting-age populace went to the polls in 1960, when John F. Kennedy

The election of Bush v. Gore is known as one of the most controversial elections of all time, people often speculate the perspective of the election based on the popular vote and the way the candidates presented themselves. Known as the “Endless Election”, the events that took place during in the election led to a huge argument on who really won the election. People like to argue that election was rigged and that Gore should have been the POTUS.

The election of 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore showed flaws in the electoral college voting system. For example, the US Supreme Court had to make decisions that have never been made before due to “irreparable harm”. In regards to Bush, irreparable harm meant that the court cases created by the Democratic Party were harming his election. The election was decided on the state of Florida. Originally, Bush won the state with 1,784 but the margin of victory was 0.3%. A machine recount begun and completed on 10 November, but most counties did not legitimately recount the ballots. Gore requested a hand recount and was given a deadline to complete all hand recounts by Katherine Harris, Secretary of State. Before the deadline was met, she declared