Chronology of Events Election 2000
Nov. 7	Gore Wins Florida	Based on exit polls and early analyses from VNS (Voting News Service) an election results service shared by the TV networks, television anchors predict that Al Gore has won Florida and therefore, the Presidency, because he also has won Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Nov. 7	Too Close to Call	Later in the evening, protest from the Bush campaign and further analysis by VNS cause the networks to pull back from their earlier prediction and move Florida back into the "too close to call" category.
Nov. 8	Chaos	In the hours just past midnight, it becomes apparent that the election will be close nationally. Although Oregon, New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin, and other states are still in doubt, both Bush and Gore have won enough electoral votes to make Florida's 25 votes critical to the overall outcome. In the early morning hours, the networks, led by CBS, call Florida for Bush which would give him victory with 271 Electoral College votes (270 needed to win). Gore telephones Bush and concedes the election. Within minutes Gore's staff informs him that the Bush lead in Florida has shrunk to just a few hundred votes.
Nov 8	Gore "Un-Concedes"	Gore calls Bush again and withdraws the concession. Bush is furious and Gore tells him not to get "snippy" about it.
Nov. 8	Catch That Plane!	Before sunrise Gore assembles a team of over fifty lawyers led by former Secretary of State Warren Christopher and dispatches them by chartered plane to Florida. Soon after daylight, Bush's campaign responds with their own team led by former Republican Cabinet officer Jim Baker.
Nov 9	Recount	Florida officials determine that the total state-wide count is close (1,784) and, pursuant to Florida law, a mandatory machine recount is ordered in all 67 Florida counties.
Nov 10	Bush Wins?	The machine recount gives Bush a 327 vote win in Florida but Democrats descend on Democratic strongholds of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Volusia Counties demanding manual recounts, especially the so called under-votes (those ballots which did not register a vote for President in the machine recounts.)
Nov 11	Bush Sues	Palm Beach County announces that it will manually recount all 462,657 ballots cast there. Bush sues in Federal District Court in Miami to bar all manual recounts, citing the failure of Florida law to specify a state-wide standard for manual counting.
Nov 12	Absentee Ballots	Volusia County begins manual recount. Also, Democrats announce they will sue the elections supervisors in Seminole and Martin Counties to throw out 23,000+ votes because Republicans were allowed to correct an error on absentee ballot applications. Gore claims he is not a party to these suits although the principle complainant was a state-wide activist in Gore's Florida campaign.
Nov 13	Court Refuses	Federal District Court refuses to stop manual recounts. Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, announces she will conform to state law and certify all vote tallies except overseas absentee ballots due on Nov. 14. Secretary of State has until Nov. 17 to certify totals with absentee votes. The Gore campaign sues in Circuit Court to extend the certification deadline.
Nov 14	Bush Leads by 300	Bush's lead shrinks to 300 as Volusia County completes manual recount. Circuit Court judge refuses to extend certification deadline.
Nov. 15	Broward County	County Canvassing Board decides to manually recount all 587,928 ballots cast. Secretary Harris, citing state law, refuses to include further manual recounts in state certification.
Nov 16	Circuit Court	Court agrees to allow manual recounts to continue but leaves it to the discretion of Secretary Harris whether to include results.
Nov 17	Deadline Day	Circuit Court Judge Terry P. Lewis refuses to stop Secretary Harris' certification but stays his order pending an appeal to Florida Supreme Court.
Nov 18	No Post Mark?	Bush's lead grows to 930 as absentee ballots are certified. Republicans are furious because overseas military ballots without postmarks are excluded. Final certification still delayed pending Florida Supreme Court ruling.
Nov. 20	Supreme Court Day	Bush and Gore lawyers square off with oral arguments before seven justices of Florida Supreme Court. During questioning by the justices a remarkable disdain for the U.S. Constitution and federal law is demonstrated. The justices are more concerned by provisions of Florida's constitution than the supremacy of federal law.
Nov. 21	Gore Wins!	In a startling decision, the Florida Supreme court rules 7-0 that manual counts must be included in Secretary of State's certification. Extends deadline til Sunday, Nov. 26, 5:00p if office is open, or until Monday, Nov. 27, 9:00a if office is not open on Sunday. Secretary Harris immediately announces that office will be open on Nov. 26.
Nov. 22	Bush Appeals	Bush team appeals to U.S. Supreme court arguing that state court rewrote state statutes after the election was over. Miami-Dade stops manual recount with announcement that they don't have enough time to complete recount by Sunday, Nov. 26.
Nov. 24	Miami-Dade	Florida Supreme Court refuses to order Miami-Dade to continue manual recount.
Nov. 26	Bush Lead at 537	Palm Beach County realizes they cannot finish manual recount by 5:00p. Requests additional time from Secretary Harris. She refuses extra time and certifies results, declaring Bush the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes.
Nov. 27	Gore Sues Again	Team Gore files new lawsuit contesting the Presidential election in Florida. Asks for manual recounts of Miami-Dade under-votes (10,500 ballots), Palm Beach County under-votes (10,000+), and other adjustments to state-wide total. Gore team still denies being a party to lawsuits in Seminole and Martin Counties seeking to throw out 23,000 absentee ballots.
Nov. 28	Enter Judge Sauls	Leon County Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls refuses to issue recount order for Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties saying that a trial is necessary. Disputed ballots are ordered moved from home counties to Tallahassee in Leon County.
Nov. 29	Another Appeal	Team Gore asks Florida Supreme Court to order an immediate start of manual recounts, notwithstanding trial in Judge Sauls court. Court refuses. TV networks broadcast live pictures of rental trucks and automobiles transporting ballots from Miami-Dade to Tallahassee.
Nov. 30	Rolling Along	TV coverage continues with images of convoy from Palm Beach County to Tallahassee transporting disputed ballots.
Dec. 3	Cheney: "Concede"	Dick Cheney, VP candidate on Bush ticket, during an interview on TV urges Gore to concede. Gore later says that he has no thoughts of concession.
Dec. 4	Whatya mean?	The United states Supreme Court, seeking clarification of the Florida Supreme Court's ruling to extend the certification deadline, orders the Florida court to explain the basis of its ruling. In a separate action, and after a two day trial, Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls rules against team Gore's contest of the Florida election results. Gore team immediately appeals ruling.
Dec. 6	Who's got the ball?	The leaders of the Florida legislature, concerned that Florida's electoral votes will not be counted in the U.S. Congress, calls a special session to consider naming a slate of electors. The legislature's concern is based on provisions of Title 3, U.S.C, Section 3, which stipulates that all legal challenges to an election must be settled by midnight on Dec. 12, 2000.
Dec. 6	Another Appeal	Oral arguments are set for Team Gore's appeal of Judge Sauls ruling in the Florida Supreme Court.
Dec. 7	Oral Arguments	Team Gore's appeal of Judge Sauls rulings are considered by the Florida Supreme Court. Oral arguments from both sides are heard by the seven justices.
Dec. 8	More Recounts!	The Florida Supremes, in a 4-3 ruling, orders immediate state-wide recounts to begin of all under-votes. Interesting ruling because neither party asked for such a remedy.
Dec. 9	Hold It!	The U.S. Supreme Court, responding to Team Bush's appeal of the 4-3 Florida court ruling, halts the state-wide manual recount of under-votes pending a hearing before the full court.
Dec. 10	A House Divided	Lawyers from both sides file briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court. Team Bush says there is a federal question of "equal protection" because some votes are being valued higher than others... No state-wide standards. Team Gore says that the over-riding consideration must be, "count every vote."
Dec. 11	More Arguments	The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments, then retires to consider the case. The wait begins.
Dec. 12	The House Acts	The Florida House votes to approve the Bush slate of electors but the action soon becomes moot.
Dec. 12	The End	The U.S.S.C., at approximately 9:50p, issues ruling: The justices find 7-2 (dissenting, Ginsberg and Stevens) that manual recounts, as had been conducted, did indeed violate the "equal protection" clause of the 14th Amendment, but the court can not agree on remedy. Souter and Brenner want to remand the case to the Florida Supreme Court to fashion a remedy but five justices, Rehnquist, Kennedy, O'Connor, Scalia, and Thomas have had enough... By a final ruling of 5-4 the court ends the process by declaring that the state must use one standard and complete any recounts by midnight, Dec. 12, the date required under federal law. The justices note, "that time is upon us."
Dec. 12	Its Over!	The Florida Supreme Court upholds rulings of two lower courts that the 23,000 absentee ballots in Seminole and Martin Counties will not be thrown out.
Dec 13	Gore Concedes... Again	Delivering the best speech of his entire campaign, and perhaps the most eloquent concession speech ever, Al Gore concedes the election and wishes Bush well.

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