One of the Closest Elections in U.S. History!

Too close to call doesn't begin to describe the events of November 7. This presidential election was one of the wildest and closest in U.S. history. For millions of Americans who watched the returns, Election Night was full of reversals, cheering, and hope. It was also a triumph for democracy.

When many Americans went to bed on Election Night, November 7, they expected to learn the next day whether Governor George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore would be the next President of the United States.

But we woke to find that no President had been elected yet--and that the process of learning who had won might take days, even weeks.

Electoral Nightmare

As of Thursday, November 9, Vice President Gore held a lead of about 200,000 votes in the nationwide popular vote (the Vote of the people).

But it is the electoral vote that decides who will be elected President. Under the U.S. Constitution, a candidate must get a majority (270) of the 538 electoral votes to be elected President.

Not counting Florida, Gore had won 260 electoral votes and Bush, 246. Both men needed Florida to take them over the top. (For more about the Electoral College, see p. 6).

The first count of Florida's ballots showed Bush with a lead of about 1,700 votes--out of roughly 6 million votes cast. Under Florida law, such a narrow lead meant an automatic recount.

Calm and Thoughtful

As the recount began, both Bush and Gore addressed the American people. "This is an extraordinary moment for our country," Gore said. "This matter must be resolved...deliberately and without any rush to judgment."

Bush said that he hoped the count would be "finalized as quickly as possible and in a calm and thoughtful manner." Bush also expressed confidence that he would be declared the winner.

Recounting the Votes

According to a recount of the votes on November 9, Bush still led Gore in Florida. But several thousand absentee ballots had not been counted yet.

With the results so close and the stakes so high, Democratic Party officials asked for the votes to be counted again, this time by hand.

Voters in Palm Beach County, Florida, asked a judge to order a new election in that county. They said that the ballot was confusing to many Gore voters, causing them to vote for a different candidate. But such lawsuits seldom result in a new election.

Republicans considered asking for recounts in states such as Iowa and Wisconsin, where Bush lost by a small margin. It may take weeks before the final results are known.

Former President Jimmy Carter said, "The American people should join me in being patient and thorough in determining the will of Florida's voters."

Electoral College Vote

On December 18, the members of the Electoral College will meet in their state capitals to cast the all-important electoral votes. Their votes will be sealed and sent to the U.S. Congress, which will count the votes on January 6. The flew President will be inaugurated on January 20.

Whoever the future President turns out to be, he will face many challenges after this bitter, tightly contested election. The U.S. Congress is more evenly divided than it was before the election (see "Congress," below). That means that the new President may have trouble getting Congress to pass the laws he wants.

Whoever is elected, said President Bill Clinton, "No American will ever be able to seriously say again, 'My vote doesn't count.'"

Popular Vote

(as of November 9, p.m. EST)

Gore 49,091,128

Bush 48,869,989

Nader 2,683,876

How You Voted!

In the Scholastic student election poll, which closed on Oct. 18, kids chose Bush by a wide margin. In a separate tracking poll, taken the last two weeks of the campaign, Bush and Gore ran neck and neck until the final day.

Congress

At press the Republicans seemed to have won enough seats to keep control of the House and probably the Senate.

Two races gained national attention. Hillary Rodham Clinton won her historic battle to become the first President's wife to seek and win election to public office. She defeated her Republican opponent.

Rick Lazio, in the race for the U.S. Senate in New York. "I will work my heart out for the next six years for all of you," Clinton said in her acceptance speech.

A record-setting 11 women will serve in the new U.S. Senate.

In Missouri, deceased Governor Mel Carnahan defeated Republican incumbent John Ashcroft for a U.S. Senate seat. In October. Carnahan died in a plane crash. Carnahan's widow, Jean will serve in his place. "For reasons we don't understand," she said, "the mantle has now fallen on us."

Governors

There were a few firsts in this year's 11 gubernatorial elections. Judy Martz became the first female Governor of Montana. In Washington. Gary Locke, the first Asian-American ever to govern that state, was re-elected. And a high-school dropout, Ruth Ann Minner, proved in Delaware that "it doesn't male a difference what background we're from...hard work makes anything possible."