The Bowdoin Orient

November 17, 2000
Volume CXXXII, Number 10

U.S. continues to focus on Florida

by Hugh Van der Veer, STAFF WRITER

   Ten days after the November 7 election, the U.S. still has not chosen a successor for President Bill Clinton.
    The election has come down to Florida, where the original count gave Governor George W. Bush the lead and thus, in theory, the presidency. However, the margin of Governor Bush’s victory was so small that the Florida election law mandated a recount.
    This recount was initially scheduled to be completed by this past Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. At that time, Florida’s Secretary of State Katherine Harris announced that after the recount, Governor Bush had a 300-vote lead over the Vice President.
    However, the overseas ballots, which traditionally lean Republican, are still being counted through today, although they will likely maintain his lead. It seems unlikely that the election will be decided by the end of today, though, as a variety of lawsuits are still waiting to be heard.
    One problem is the unresolved ballot issue in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, Florida. The Palm Beach ballots have come under a great deal of criticism for their design.
    In order to vote, a person must punch out a hole for his or her candidate. Sometimes, however, the hole is ambiguous, and the computer cannot read the ballot and therefore disregards it. The Democrats have said that they are hoping that a manual recount of the ballots will give Gore a majority in Florida.
    Broward County is having many of the same problems, but officials have not yet decided to perform a hand recount. However, that decision might be made for them if a Democratic lawsuit succeeds in mandating a recount.
    Questions still remain as to whether these recounts will even matter, though. Bush spokesperson Karen Hughes said she believes that “counties controlled by Democrats have said they may continue a manual count. Yet if they go forward after the deadline, these Democratic counties are…attempting to reinterpret the results.”
    Another problem that has surfaced in the past couple days in Florida deals with incorrect votes. Democrats contend that the ballots in some counties are misleading. They argue that many Gore supporters failed to understand the punch ballot and voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Gore.
    Democratic lawyers are scheduled for a court hearing today where they will try to determine the constitutionality of a revote. This is a very controversial topic, though, and will likely not be decided until it reaches the Florida Supreme Court. In general, most, if not all, of the lawsuits will likely be heard by the Florida Supreme Court, as both Democrats and Republicans agree that the decisions should be made by the same court.
    No one seems to know when and how the court will decide, and so the results of this election may not be known for some time. However, if litigation does not affect the election, an unlikely scenario, then the absentee ballots and recounts should all be tabulated by Monday night.
    As it stands now, it appears that the Republicans will control the House and Senate by only the narrowest of margins. Additionally, the next president will have to govern when he has only won by a handful of votes. Many have begun to question what the government will be able to accomplish regardless of who wins.
    Leaders like Senator Trent Lott (R) have said that they believe that, without a clear mandate, the Republicans and Democrats will have to work together at a time when everyone agrees that there are vast ideological differences between them. Lott did try to reassure Americans by noting that President Jefferson, our third president, was chosen only after 36 ballots in Congress, and he did okay.