12/13/00
Gore Concedes: After last
night's Supreme Court decision, Al Gore has conceded the election to
George W. Bush. Addressing the nation from Washington, Gore offered Bush his
congratulations and promised he would now
work to "heal the divisions" left by the disputed outcome. [See: Gore
Concedes -- Calls for Healing]
The Transition Begins --
Officially
Statement of David J. Barram, Administrator of the U.S. General Services
Administration -- 12/13/00
"This evening I have
authorized President-elect George W. Bush to use the funds appropriated for the
transition. I have also made available the space prepared for the transition
team by GSA at 1800 G St. NW, Washington, D.C." -- SOURCE: U.S. General
Services Administration
• High Court Not
Political, Justices Say
After concurring in a 5-4 ruling that ultimately decided a presidential
election, Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Clarence Thomas appeared
on cable TV where they denied that partisan politics plays any role in the
Supreme Court.
The Florida Senate: delayed
its consider of a resolution
naming a slate of 25 electors for George W. Bush pending the actions of Vice
President Gore. Should Gore concede, the Senate may drop the resolution. The resolution was passed by
the Florida House yesterday by a 79-41 vote.
• Election
Time Line Read the hour-by-hour history of this amazing election
from our US News site.
12/12/00
The US Supreme Court: The court in a 7-2 decision reversed the Florida Supreme Court's decision ordering statewide
recounts of undervote ballots, sending it back to the Florida court with a
request that the court devise a statewide standard by which to count the votes.
[More Details]
"Because
it is evident that any recount seeking to make the December 12 date will be
unconstitutional ... we reverse the judgment of the Supreme Court of Florida
ordering the recount to proceed," stated the court in its 7-2 decision.
December 12 is the date by which Florida must certify its electors.
Florida
Legislature: By a vote of 79-41 the House of Representatives of the Florida Legislature
approved a resolution
naming a slate of 25 electors for George W. Bush. Two Democrats joined the 77
Republicans in the vote. The
Florida Senate is expected to vote on the resolution tomorrow. As a joint
resolution, instead of a bill, the signature of Florida's Governor Jeb Bush,
brother of presidential candidate George W. Bush is not required. The electors
named by the Legislature are the same as those certified and submitted to
the National Archives on Nov. 26.
The
Florida Supreme Court: by votes of 6-0, upheld trial court rulings denying
challenges against absentee ballots cast in Seminole and Martin Counties.
Plaintiffs had claimed that Republican party members were illegally allowed to alter absentee ballot requests by
adding required voter ID numbers and sought to the have the ballots thrown out.
[See: Seminole County Voter Fraud Case]
Yesterday,
The Florida Supreme Court voted 6-1 to inform the US Supreme Court that its (the
Florida Supreme Court) earlier decision allowing manual recounts and extending
the deadline for counting presidential ballots was based on state law.
12/11/00 U.S. Supreme
Court: Today
at 11:00 am EST, Justices will listen to oral arguments on George W. Bush's
appeal to the Dec. 8 ruling of the Florida Supreme Court ordering manual recounts of over 43,000 contested
Florida ballots. A decision in Bush's favor would permanently halt further
recounts. [See: US Supreme Court Hears Recount Appeal]
Florida
Supreme Court: Briefs are to be filed at 9:00 am EST today before the
Florida Supreme Court in the appeal of the Seminole County voter fraud case.
This is an appeal to the decision of the Leon County, Florida Circuit Court in a
lawsuit filed by voters accusing that Republican operatives had committed voter
fraud in Seminole and Martin counties by placing voter ID numbers on absentee
vote applications sent to registered Republicans. In a joint decision issued
Dec. 8, Judges Judge Terry P. Lewis and Nikki Ann Clark denied the plaintiffs'
request that 32,000 absentee ballots be rejected, finding that the actions of
Republican operatives, while clearly illegal, were not intentional. [See: Seminole
County Voter Fraud Case]
12/09/00 - Recounts
Started,
then Stopped The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an immediate stay on manual vote
recounts in Florida and to hold hearings on the Bush Campaign's challenge to the
recounts on Monday morning at 11:00 am EST. Chief Justice William Rehnquist and
Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Sandra Day
O'Connor voted to halt the recounts. Justices John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer,
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter wrote dissenting opinions.
This
action came only moments after the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta
had ruled that the recounts could continue, but that recounted votes could not
be certified until after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
At 8:00 am PST, the recount of some 9,000 ballots from Miami-Dade county as ordered on 12/08/00
by the Florida Supreme Court began under the direct supervision of
Leon County Florida Circuit CourtJudge Terry P. Lewis, who hopes to have
the process completed by 2:00 pm on Sunday.
Overall, the Florida Supreme
Court's ruling orders the recount of at least 43,432 "undervotes" from
as many as 62 Florida counties. "Undervotes" are ballots that, when
counted by machine, failed to record a vote for either presidential candidate.
The ruling effectively reduced Bush's lead over Gore in the Florida count to
only 154 votes going into the recounts.
In
Florida counties that favored Bush, there were 25,699 undervotes. In counties
that voted for Gore, there were 17,733 undervotes.
Under
Judge Lewis' orders, the ballots will be counted by a team of eight judges
rather than county employees. In addition political party representatives will not be allowed to
object to how the ballot counters interpret partial chad punches or other stylus
marks on the ballot on a vote-by-vote basis. Instead, Lewis stated that both
campaigns could file written complaints with him after the counting process was
completed.
• A Bush/Lieberman Presidency How about a Bush/Lieberman ticket? The Florida Supreme Court decision could mean the presidential election
gets thrown to the US Congress, and that means both Bush and Lieberman could
win, leaving Gore and Cheney in the dust. US Politics Guide John Aravosis
explains.
12/08/00
Florida
Supreme Court: Manual Recounts Ordered The Florida Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision granted the Gore campaign's
appeal to Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls' decision of Dec. 4 and ordered an
immediate hand recount of 9,000 votes in Miami-Dade County and 3,300 votes in
Palm Beach County. The court also ruled that Gore be awarded 383 votes
already hand-counted in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties, reducing Bush's lead
in Florida to only 154 votes.
The
court also ordered that all Florida counties with "undervote" ballots
-- ballots on which no presidential vote was recorded -- must also be
recounted.
Appeals
Filed: Lawyers for George W. Bush have appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Anthony
Kennedy to order an immediate temporary stay halting recounts in Florida. The
Bush campaign has also filed an appeal before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of
Appeals in Atlanta.
Leon County Florida Circuit Court: Absentee Ballots Stand Judge Terry P. Lewis and Nikki Ann Clark, in a jointly issued decision,
denied the requests of plaintiffs in Martin and Seminole Counties to have some
23,000 absentee ballots thrown out. The plaintiffs had based their lawsuits on claims
that
Republican party officials tampered with applications for the ballots by filling
in voter ID numbers. Under the judges' decision, all votes stand as counted.
According
to the ruling, "The trial courts in both the Seminole County case and the
Martin County case have determined that despite irregularities in the request
for absentee ballots, neither the sanctity of the ballots nor the integrity of
the election have been compromised."
The
decision concluded, "The election results reflect a full and fair
expression of the will of the voters. ... All relief requested by the plaintiffs
has been denied."
While
the Gore campaign was not a party to either lawsuit, a decision by either judge
to throw out absentee ballots would have cost George W. Bush thousands of votes, allowing Al Gore
to win the presidency.
• Leon
County Circuit Court Download copies of the Judges' opinions. A very busy Web site today. Keep
trying.
The
decisions in both cases are being appealed to the Florida Supreme Court.
The
Florida Legislature met in special session
to begin the process of selecting its own set of electors for George W. Bush in
the event final results of the election are still tied up in court on the Dec.
12 federal deadline. [See: If
Florida Can't Vote]
Electoral College Standings: (270 needed for election)
Gore 260 - Bush 246
Not Certified: Oregon (7), Florida (25) certified for Bush, but being contested by Gore
12/07/00 The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments in Al Gore's
appeal to Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls' decision of Dec. 4 denying the Gore campaign's
request for a recount of some 14,000 disputed
ballots. Each side will be given 30 minutes for oral presentations and the
proceedings will be televised. Court convenes at 10:00 am EST.
Trials regarding lawsuits
filed by voters in Seminole and Martin counties, Florida finished up in separate
Leon County Circuit Courts in Tallahassee. Plaintiffs in both suits claim that
Republican party officials tampered with thousands of absentee ballots in those
counties by filling in voter ID numbers for republican voters, and ask that the
ballots be thrown out. If either of the lawsuits were to succeed, George W. Bush
would lose thousands of votes, allowing Al Gore to overtake him in Florida and
win the presidency.
2/06/00 Florida courts remained busy with back-to-back trials in lawsuits filed by voters
from Seminole
and Martin counties alleging that Republican election volunteers had tampered
with absentee ballot applications. The plaintiffs are seeking to have thousands of
absentee votes thrown out, a ruling which would benefit the Gore campaign.
The
Florida Legislature announced it will meet in special session on Friday, Dec. 8
to start the process of selecting its own set of electors for George W. Bush in
the event final results of the election are still tied up in court on the Dec.
12 federal deadline. [See: If
Florida Can't Vote]
12/05/00 The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Thursday in Al Gore's
appeal to Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls' decision of Dec. 4 denying the Gore campaign's
request for a recount of some 14,000 disputed
ballots.
"In conclusion, the
court finds that the plaintiffs have failed to carry the requisite burden of
proof and judgment shall be and hereby is entered that plaintiffs shall take
nothing by this action and the defendants may go hence without delay." --
From Judge Sanders N. Sauls Dec. 4th decision.
The Florida
Supreme Court must also consider a response to the U.S. Supreme Court's Dec. 4th
request
that it clarify the legal basis behind its decision to extend the
certification deadline in the state to allow for the addition of some manual
ballot recounts that cut Bush's lead in Florida from 930 to 537. The Florida
Supreme Court has given lawyers for both sides until 3:00 pm EST to issue briefs
on the the U.S. Supreme Court's request. [See: Bush's Supreme Court
Appeal: The Decision]
12/04/00
U.S. Supreme Court -- The U.S. Supreme Court issued a
7-page ruling vacating a
Nov. 24 ruling by the Florida Supreme Court
extending the statutory deadline for vote certification under Florida law and allowing for recounted votes to be included in certified
totals. The ruling effectively orders the Florida Supreme Court to clarify the
legal basis of its decision. [See: Bush's Supreme Court
Appeal: The Decision]
Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court -- Judge N. Sanders Sauls today denied the Gore
campaign's contest requesting the immediate hand recount of over 14,000 disputed
ballots from Miami-Dade
and Palm Beach Counties. The Gore campaign will appeal Judge Sauls' decision to
the Florida Supreme Court.
Senate
Balance of Power -- In
Washington State, Democrat Maria Cantwell was certified the winner of the
state's U.S. Senate race over incumbent Republican Sen. Slade Gorton after a
recount.
If Republican
Richard Cheney is elected vice president, there will be a 50-50 split in the
Senate, yet Republicans will maintain "nominal" control due to
Cheney's tie-breaker vote as president of the Senate.
If
Democrat Joe Lieberman wins the vice presidency, the Republican governor of
Connecticut will probably appoint a Republican to replace him, thus giving the
Republicans a 51-49 Senate advantage.
12/03/00 Sunday - a day of rest? Not it in Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court, where Judge N. Sanders Sauls takes hearings on the Gore
campaign's request for an immediate recount of over 14,000 disputed ballots into
a second day of testimony. Judge Sauls' convenes court today at 9:00 am EST
For
over nine hours on Saturday, lawyers and witnesses argued over technical aspects
of chad-grabbing rubber strips in voting machines and how voters vote. The Gore
camp hopes for a decision today or tomorrow.
12/02/00 The courtroom of Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls was the spot to be today as lawyers
for Bush and Gore argued over Gore's request for a fast-track recount of more
than 14,000 disputed Florida ballots. Judge Sauls' decision will almost
certainly be appealed to the Florida Supreme Court.
Vice
President Gore's action before Judge Sauls is a contest of the results to the
election under Florida law. Basically, Vice President Gore challenges that he
got more votes than Gov. Bush, and should have been certified as the winner.
Yesterday,
the Florida Supreme Court turned down Gore's appeal for the recount, ruling that
the decision rested with Judge Sauls.
As
ordered by Judge Sauls, over 1.1 million ballots have been shipped to
Tallahassee in case a recount is called for.
12/01/00 Lawyers for both Bush and Gore campaigns argue their sides before the
U.S. Supreme Court today. Bush challenges the action of the Florida Supreme
Court in extending the vote certification date in Florida to allow the inclusion
of hand-recounted votes. A decision is expected next
week.
A perhaps more
important hearing takes place tomorrow (12/2/00) in the courtroom of Leon County,
Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls. Judge Sauls will decide whether
the more than 1.1 million ballots being sent to Tallahassee by Miami-Dade and
Palm Beach Counties will, or will not, be recounted.
Judge
Sauls' decision will, of course, be appealed to the Florida Supreme Court, which
may, or may not, be influenced in its decision by the ruling of the U.S. Supreme
Court on the Bush campaigns appeal being heard today. Do you find yourself
wishing you had gone to law school, too?
Certified
results of Florida
presidential popular vote: (As certified Nov. 26, 2000)
Candidate
Nov 7
1st
recount
Certified
George W. Bush (R)
2,909,176
2,910,492
2,912,790
Al Gore (D)
2,907,451
2,910,192
2,912,253
Advantage (Bush)
1725
300
537
11/30/00 Worried that the "ballot brigade" of over 1.1 million ballots
being trucked from Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties to Tallahassee might not
be recounted in time, if recounted at all, attorneys for the Gore campaign asked
the Florida Supreme Court to order an immediate recount of some 14,000 disputed
ballots.
A joint committee of the Florida
legislature voted 8-5 to call a special session next week for the
legislature to name its own slate of electors to the Electoral
College. The alternate slate of electors would vote should ongoing lawsuits and election contests prevent the originally
certified slate of electors from voting in the Dec. 18 Electoral College vote. Republicans hold a majority in the state legislature.
Under
heavy police protection, some 1.1 million ballots cast in Miami-Dade and Palm
Beach counties began a long journey to the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee,
where Leon County Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls may order them recounted.
Judge Sauls' hearing on the Gore campaign's challenge will be held on Sat. Dec.
2.
Lawyers for both campaigns
have until 4:00 pm EST today to file briefs before the US Supreme Court on Gov.
Bush's appeal to be argued this Friday. The hearings will not be televised,
as is the tradition of the court.
New
Mexico election officials today certified Al Gore as the winner of the state's
five electoral votes.
11/29/00 By
5:00pm EST, lawyers for both candidates are to file briefs before the Florida
Supreme Court on Al Gore's appeal seeking a complete re-vote in Palm Beach County.
The Gore case is based on
claims of voter confusion caused by Palm Beach's use of the infamous
"butterfly" ballots. The Gore campaign has also contested vote counts
in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Nassau counties.
On
Saturday, Dec. 2, Leon County, Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls will
hold a hearing on the Gore campaign's challenge to Florida's vote certification.
Judge Sauls ordered all ballots cast in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties --
over 1 million of them -- sent to Tallahassee in case of a possible recount.
"Pack
them up and bring them up,'' Judge Sauls told the court, offering no indication
of whether a recount would be ordered or not.
The
Florida legislature
is considering calling a special session to name its own slate of electors if
court battles extend beyond the Dec. 12 federal deadline for all states to
submit slates of electors to the Electoral College. Republicans represent the
majority in the Florida legislature.
11/28/00 In a brief televised press conference, Vice President Gore proposed that the
Bush campaign agree to a recount of thousands of "questionable"
Florida ballots over a seven day period starting Nov. 29. Lawyers for the Bush
campaign rejected the proposal.
By
5:00pm EST, the Gore camp will file papers with the Florida
Supreme Court seeking a complete re-vote in Palm Beach County based on
claims of voter confusion caused by use there of the infamous
"butterfly" ballots. The Gore campaign has also contested vote counts
in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Nassau counties.
11/27/00
Stating that thousands of votes in Florida remain uncounted, Vice President Gore
told a nationwide TV audience that he would contest the state's vote count.
Aids for his campaign contend Al Gore actually won the Florida election by
nine votes, based on votes counted but not certified by the state. The Al Gore
legal team is expected to formally contest Florida's certified vote showing
George W. Bush the winner by 537 votes.
11/26/00 As the clock ran out on the vote recounts, Florida Secretary of State
Katherine Harris certified results showing Republican George W. Bush the winner
of the state's popular vote over Democrat Al Gore by 537 votes.
Earlier
in the afternoon, Harris denied a last-minute request from Palm Beach County for
an extension of the 5:00pm EST vote reporting deadline set by the Florida
Supreme Court.
Palm
Beach election officials stated they would continue to count about 1,000
remaining ballots and
report the results in the event future court decisions allow the votes to be
added to certified totals.
With
several court cases still pending in Florida courts, contests in at least three
counties anticipated by the Gore campaign and a U.S. Supreme Court hearing set
for Friday, the results announced Sunday by no means represent the end of the
2000 presidential election.
Results of hand
recounts: (Unofficial as of Nov. 26, 2000)
County
Net
Change
Broward
(completed)
Gore +567
Palm
Beach
Gore +46
7 Other
Counties
(Revisions per AP)
Bush +137
Net
Change
Gore +512
Gov. Bush's official statewide lead was 930 votes before hand recounts began.
[What
if recounts and court actions prevent Florida from being able to cast its 25
electoral votes on Dec. 18? See: If
Florida Can't Vote]
11/25/00 Hand
recounts in Broward and Palm Beach Counties continue today. Deadline is 5:00pm
Sunday, Nov. 26. All recounts must be completed and reported to the Florida
Secretary of States Office by then according to the ruling of the Florida
Supreme Court on Nov. 21.
11/24/00 The
U.S. Supreme Court has decided today that the Court will consider the Bush campaign's
appeal to reverse the Florida Supreme Court decision that the recounts be added
to the final state results. The Court will hear arguments on the appeal on
December 1.
What is the legal basis of the Bush appeal, and how
does the Supreme Court decide whether or not to consider a case? See: Bush
Campaign's Supreme Court Appeal
Vice President Gore stated he would not concede the election under any
circumstances after Florida certifies its vote. Mr. Gore stated he will also
challenge the vote results from Miami-Dade County, where hand recounts were
halted on Wednesday.
Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Richard Cheney was released from
George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. after suffering what
doctors called a slight hear attack.
11/23/00 The Florida Supreme Court refused a request from the Gore campaign asking
that justices order the Miami-Dade County vote
canvassing board to resume the hand recounts they gave up on yesterday.
The
Gore campaign will contest the Miami-Dade results after the county files its
certified totals.
By order of the Florida Supreme Court, all vote recounts must be completed
and reported by 5:00pm Sunday, Nov. 26.
11/22/00 The Miami-Dade County vote canvassing board, after earlier deciding to
recount only 10,000 undetermined ballots, voted 3-0 to completely call off
further recounts of any ballots. The board stated that it could not meet the
Nov. 27 deadline established by the Florida Supreme Court. Officials of the Gore
campaign stated that they will seek a court order compelling Miami-Date County
to resume its recount.
The
Bush campaign filed two appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to stop all Florida ballot recounts. [For
details see: Bush Campaign's
Supreme Court Appeal]
Republican vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney was hospitalized in
George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. suffering from chest pains.
According to statements from Bush campaign officials, Cheney was free of
discomfort and that tests showed no signs of a heart attack. Cheney has suffered
three heart attacks and underwent bypass surgery in the past. Cheney's last
heart attack took place in 1988.
11/21/00 The Florida Supreme Court in a 7-0 decision has ruled that votes from hand
recounts now going on in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties must be included in final state
totals. Amended returns must be turned in to the Florida Secretary of State's
office by 9 am EST next Monday at the latest, the court ordered.
The
court did not rule on how the ballots with so-called "dimpled" or
"pregnant" chad were to be treated, leaving that decision up to local
vote canvassing boards.
Recount
totals in Miami-Dade,
Palm Beach and Broward counties at the time of the Supreme Court's ruling showed
net gain of +278 votes for Vice President Gore.
Vice President Gore stated
that he would not accept any cross-over Electoral College votes from electors
chosen for Gov. Bush.
11/20/00 Lawyers for both the Bush and Gore campaigns presented arguments before the
Florida Supreme Court on whether the Florida Secretary of
State's office should be compelled to accept amended vote totals from hand
recounts now underway. The court's decision could be issued at any time.
Florida
Attorney General Bob Butterworth, a Democrat, urged election supervisors in all
62 Florida counties to count and certify all overseas absentee military votes
whether they had been postmarked or not. Read
Attorney General Butterworth's letter.
George W. Bush holds a 930 vote lead in Florida after the count of absentee
ballots. Had the Florida Supreme Court not issued a stay preventing it, the
Florida Secretary of State's office would have certified the following
final results of the state's presidential election:
Florida
Vote:
With 100 percent of the
vote reported as counted:
Bush (R) - 2,910,496 - Leads by 930 votes (not yet certified)
Gore (D) - 2,910,192 (Results remain uncertified pending Monday's
hearing before the Florida Supreme Court.)
Electoral
Vote:
Gore
(D) - 255
Bush (R) - 246 270 votes are needed to win the presidency.
Votes still outstanding are Oregon (7), New Mexico (5) and Florida (25).
(Final counts in New Mexico show Gore the winner by 179 votes, but the state
does not certify results until Nov. 28.)
Popular
Vote:
Gore
(D) - 49,921,267 - Leads by 262,991 votes
Bush (R) - 49,658,276
The
107th United States Congress Control of Congress is at least
as important as control of the White House. Any President who's party is in the
minority in Congress is in for a tough four years. Going
into the election, Republicans held a majority in both House and Senate: House: 222 Republicans -
209 Democrats - 2 Independents (2 Seats were Vacant) Senate: 54 Republicans - 46 Democrats
Current Results of Vote
for the 107th Congress It appears Republicans will retain their narrow majority in both the House
and Senate.
House of
Representatives - 435 Seats All 435 seats contested
Majority = 218 Seats
2/3 Majority = 291 Seats
In Washington State, Democrat Maria Cantwell was certified the winner of the
state's U.S. Senate race over incumbent Republican Sen. Slade Gorton after a
recount.
If Republican Richard Cheney is elected vice president, there will be
a 50-50 split in the Senate, while Republicans will maintain "nominal"
control due to Cheney's tie-breaking vote.
If Democrat Joe Lieberman wins the
vice presidency, the Republican governor of Connecticut will probably appoint a
Republican to replace him, thus giving the Republicans a 51-49 Senate advantage.
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