As the Dec. 18 Electoral College vote quickly approaches, the campaigns of George W. Bush and Al Gore seem ready to fight down to the wire. Although the last three weeks provided ample drama, the nation is still without a chief executive to serve as the 43rd American president.
- Nov. 7-8: As ballots pour in and the media reports the results, the election is one of the tightest in history. Following a Bush lead in early hours of the vote count, networks call Florida for Gore based on exit poll results. Hours later, the Florida number appears much closer than previously believed, and anxious voters watch as the networks take the prized 25 votes away from Gore. At about 2:15 a.m., in what may long be known as one of the most significant media gaffes of all time, media groups declare George W. Bush the next president. However, by the time morning rolls around, most stations and newspapers retract their earlier statement. A few morning papers, however, including the New York Post, publish early editions with headlines such as "Bush Wins!" In Florida, Bush leads by 1,210 out of 6 million votes, and the tight race triggers calls for a recount. Oregon and New Mexico also remain too close to call.
- Nov. 9-14: New Mexico slips away from Gore as a recount for part of the state gets underway, and Oregon continues to count votes. A Florida court rules that Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris can reject hand counted ballots as long as she does not do so "arbitrarily." On the 14th, Harris certifies the election results and declares Bush the winner. She says that she will consider the results of hand counts as long as counties wishing to extend their deadlines can show a valid reason.
- Nov. 15-17: One day after Harris certifies the state vote, she says no county has provided an adequate reason to require further recounts. On the 16th, the Florida Supreme Court decides the hand recounts may continue. But the next day, a judge decides that Harris's certified vote totals - including absentee ballots, but without many of the still continuing recount results - are adequate.
- Nov. 20-23: The Florida Supreme Court hears arguments and decides that hand-counted results completed by Nov. 26 in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties must be included in the vote totals. On the 23rd, Miami-Dade election officials decide not to complete their hand count, citing an inability to complete the count by the Sunday deadline.
- Nov. 26-27: With partially complete results from most hand counts, Harris officially certifies Bush the winner of the 25 Florida electoral votes. The Gore campaign promises to challenge the certification in court, and Gore makes a public address asking the nation to stick by him. The Bush campaign convinces the US Supreme Court to hear the case against the Florida Supreme Court's decision to allow the hand-counts to continue and include the results in the total.
- Nov. 28-29: The Clinton transition team says the election results remain uncertain and, as a result, withholds money from Bush's transition team. The Bush campaign solicits private money to finance the transition. The Florida state legislature considers the possibility of a Palm Beach County revote.
- Nov. 30: 1.1 million ballots from South Florida are sent by guarded rental truck to Tallahassee so the Florida Supreme Court can examine the ballots and consider Gore's request to count the 14,000 disputed ballots. The decision on whether or not to count all 1.1 million ballots may not come until Saturday. The Florida State legislature issues a recommendation that a special session be called to pick the state's 25 electors. Gore's lawyers file papers with the US Supreme Court to challenge the right of the Florida state legislature to choose its own electors. The Florida Supreme Court has received letters from voters asking for a recount in Palm Beach County, and has yet to decide if it will take up the case.
Janet Reno speaks with NAACP's Kwesi Mfume about the NAACP's possible lawsuit regarding voting irregularities and a number of African Americans who were turned away from voting locations.
Meanwhile, Bush has moved ahead with plans to assume the presidency, and met with Colin Powell at his ranch in Crawford, Texas today. Bush said that the meeting was working on "getting our team in place."
