Presidential Election Trials: 2000

Wednesday, November 15

The Broward County canvassing board decided to start manually recounting all 587,928 ballots cast there. At the same time, Secretary of State Harris rebuffed requests that recounts in Broward and Palm Beach counties be included in her statewide certification. The Gore campaign appealed that turndown to the Florida Supreme Court, all seven of whose members had been appointed by Democratic governors.

Thursday, November 16

The state supreme court said manual recounts in Palm Beach and Broward counties would be permitted.

Before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta, the Bush campaign argued that hand counts are unconstitutional, while the Gore campaign insisted the matter was a state, not federal, issue.

Friday, November 17

The federal court in Atlanta refused the Bush request to stop hand counts, and the Miami-Dade County election board voted to go ahead with its hand recount.

As the nation became educated about "chads," the bits of paper punched out of ballots by voters so machines could count the holes, Broward County judge John Miller decided the county canvassing board could count such a punch-card ballot as a vote, even when no hole was punched, if a "dimple" showed that the voter had tried to punch the hole. Television news now endlessly depicted board members holding ballots up to the light or squinting at them inches from their noses.

Leon County Circuit Court Judge Terry P. Lewis decided the Secretary of State was permitted to certify the election results and declare a winner without hand recounts. Gore again appealed.

The Florida Supreme Court, acting on its own motion and pending its consideration of the appeal, put a hold on Judge Lewis's decision.

Monday, November 20

The Florida Supreme Court listened to arguments by Bush and Gore attorneys on whether hand counts should be included in the final tally of votes, and on Secretary of State Harris's claim that she was authorized to ignore all late returns.