INTO OVERTIME.IN ONE OF THE CLOSEST ELECTIONS IN HISTORY, A HANDFUL OF VOTES DETERMINES THE NEXT PRESIDENT It was a phone call that will go down in history. After a long, bizarre Election Night last week, the major television networks had proclaimed pro·claim tr.v. pro·claimed, pro·claim·ing, pro·claims 1. To announce officially and publicly; declare. See Synonyms at announce. 2. Republican George Bush the new President, predicting that he had nailed the night's last large prize: Florida. Democratic candidate Al Gore Noun 1. Al Gore - Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948) Albert Gore Jr., Gore had already called Bush to concede con·cede v. con·ced·ed, con·ced·ing, con·cedes v.tr. 1. To acknowledge, often reluctantly, as being true, just, or proper; admit. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. . Yet at 2:20 a.m., he was on the phone again. "The state of Florida is too close to call," Gore said, citing new data showing that instead of 50,000 votes, Bush's lead had dwindled to 1,200 votes, or less than one 30th of one percent of the 5.8 million votes cast. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Bush said. "Let me make sure that I understand. You're calling to retract TO RETRACT. To withdraw a proposition or offer before it has been accepted. 2. This the party making it has a right to do is long as it has not been accepted; for no principle of law or equity can, under these circumstances, require him to persevere in it. your concession?" "You don't have to be snippy snip·py adj. snip·pi·er, snip·pi·est Informal 1. Sharp-tongued; impertinent: shocked by his snippy retort. 2. Occurring in pieces; fragmentary. about it," Gore shot back. The two men hung up, and America entered into a new and unknown zone. With almost all the votes counted, the presidential election was locked in a stalemate stale·mate n. 1. A situation in which further action is blocked; a deadlock. 2. A drawing position in chess in which the king, although not in check, can move only into check and no other piece can move. tr.v. . Each candidate was achingly close to the 270 electoral votes needed to win: Bush at 246, Gore at 260. But neither could win without Florida. And Florida was something of a mess. With a recount under way, by late Thursday afternoon Bush had maintained a lead of just over 200 votes. Reports of voter irregularities were pouring in. Most significantly, in Palm Beach County, a confusing con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. ballot apparently caused 19,000 voters to punch their ballots twice, which disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. those votes from being counted. Thousands of voters claimed that they had voted for Reform Party candidate Patrick Buchanan by mistake, when they meant to vote for Gore. Meanwhile, tensions between the candidates were running high. After Bush said it was only a matter of time before he was declared the victor, Gore campaign chairman William Daley bluntly told the Bush campaign to stop making such remarks. "I believe their actions ... run the risk of dividing the American people An American people may be:
Gore campaign officials called for a recount by hand of ballots in several disputed Florida counties, and threatened legal action asking for a new vote in Palm Beach County. Republican officials said that the allegations were exaggerated, and that the disputed ballots had been legally approved. The last time presidential election results were formally disputed was in 1876. Nationally, things were no less weird. After trailing Bush in the popular vote through much of Election Night, Gore later appeared to have won the popular vote by about 98,000 votes out of 97 million cast. But that doesn't make Gore the next President. GORE COULD STILL LOSE In the winner-take-all Electoral College electoral college, in U.S. government, the body of electors that chooses the president and vice president. The Constitution, in Article 2, Section 1, provides: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, system, the winner of a state receives all of that state's electoral votes, which are assigned to states according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. population. If the Florida recount keeps the Sunshine State in the Bush column, Bush will become the first President since 1888 to win the office while losing the popular vote. The Bush-Gore race also appears to have the narrowest Electoral College margin since 1916, when Woodrow Wilson drew 277 electoral votes and Charles Evans For other persons named Charles Evans, see Charles Evans (disambiguation). Sir Robert Charles Evans M.D., DSc, (19 October 1918 - 5 December 1995), was a mountaineer, surgeon, and educator. Born in Liverpool, he was raised in Wales and became a fluent Welsh speaker. Hughes won 254. This election proves that every vote counts, and polls taken of voters as they left the voting booths suggest that young voters played a large role in keeping Tuesday's election historically close. Voters aged 18 to 29 favored Gore over Bush 48 percent to 45 percent--though they made up only 16 percent of the voters. Where do things go next? The Florida vote won't be final until at least November 17, the deadline for counting absentee One who has left, either temporarily or permanently, his or her domicile or usual place of residence or business. A person beyond the geographical borders of a state who has not authorized an agent to represent him or her in legal proceedings that may be commenced against him or her ballots from overseas. With court cases looming looming: see mirage. , it could be days before a winner is declared--although it's also possible that one candidate or the other will determine that he can't win, and concede. So settle back and watch. Almost anything can happen in the coming days. WINNING, YET LOSING In two previous elections, the winner of the popular vote lost the electoral vote. 1876 Samuel J. Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, the most controversial American election of the 19th century. (D) 50.97%, 184 electoral votes Winner: Rutherford Rutherford (rŭth`ərfərd), borough (1990 pop. 17,790), Bergen co., NE N.J., a residential suburb of the New York City–N New Jersey metropolitan area; inc. 1881. Several pre-Revolutionary houses remain there. B. Hayes (R) 47.95%, 185 electoral votes 1888 Grover Cleveland (D) 48.62%, 168 electoral votes Winner: Benjamin Harrison (R) 47.82%, 233 electoral votes Election 2000: What the Results Mean FOCUS: Americans Elect a New President. Which Issues Were Most Important? TEACHING OBJECTIVES To help students understand this year's tortured election process, especially the razor-thin Electoral College fight. Discussion Questions: * Did the presidential election results, nationally and in your state, turn out the way you thought they would? * How are the close races--for President and Congress--likely to affect the new President's ability to enact the programs he offered to the American people? * What did the campaign teach you about the power of money and TV ads? * Do you believe the Electoral College should be retained or abolished? CLASSROOM STRATEGIES Map Analysis: Have students examine the election results. How did their state vote? Copy page 5 in the October 16 Teacher's Edition and distribute so students can compare how their state voted in 2000 and in 1996. Electoral College: Two days after the election, Al Gore led George W. Bush by nearly 98,000 votes in the popular vote, yet the contest dragged on. What do the ballot confusion and the recount in Florida say about the election process? Tell students that the Founders set up an Electoral College of the "most enlightened and respectable citizens" because they feared ordinary people would not know enough about candidates to vote wisely. Was that a reasonable system in the 18th century? Is it a reasonable system today? Would the Founders keep this system if they returned to the U.S. today? Vote/Discussion: How many students supported Gore, Bush, or other candidates? Do they believe their candidate was fairly treated by the election process this year? Next, discuss the powers of the party that controls each house of Congress. Why is control important? Do students know the party affiliations of their state's current congressional delegation? (Check online at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov) Research: You may refer students to "The Scorecard" on pages 15-17 of the October 16 student edition. Which of the issues profiled there do they believe were important in their area? What issues attracted swing voters--independent, middle-class, and largely female? How did Bush and groups? Gore appeal to these |
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