Campaign 2000 – the Battle for Florida

In a dead heat, the battle for the presidency has come down to who will win Florida. With 25 Electoral College votes, Florida is needed by both candidates to reach the minimum 270 votes required for victory. With less than 1/30 of a percent lead by Bush, Florida is mandated by state law to recount the votes. In addition, overseas absentee ballots will continue to trickle in over the next 7 – 10 days.

To add to the confusion, allegations of voter irregularities have been reported in several counties in Florida. Confused balloting and missing ballot boxes have added to the anxiety surrounding the vote count. Already three voters have filed a lawsuit contending the voter ballot was so confusing it led to them voting for Buchanan instead of Gore. A further 19,000 ballots are alleged to have been disqualified when voters accidentally punched twice when attempting to vote for their presidential candidate of choice.

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