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November 7, 2000, Early Morning to Early Evening
It is election day! George W. Bush, son of former president George H. W. Bush, is the republican nominee. He is running against democratic nominee and current Vice President Al Gore. Polls are open in most states from around 7 AM to 7 or 8 PM. -
November 7, 2000, 7:50-8:00 PM EST
Before the polls close in Florida, news networks (CNN, NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS) begin to report that Al Gore, the democratic nominee, won the state and will get all of Florida's votes in the Electoral College. -
10 PM November 7 - 2:30 AM November 8
News outlets begin issuing retractions (taking back their earlier reporting) as votes are counted and republican nominee George Bush takes a wide lead. At first, George Bush has a wide lead of over 100,000 votes, but it eventually narrows to less than 300. -
November 8, Early Morning
It is the day after election day. Katie Couric begins her broadcast of the TODAY show by saying "Good Morning. We do not have a winner."
The race is too close to call, and Florida is the determining state in this election! The results of the state are very important. Al Gore requests a recount in four counties-- Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Volusia. -
November 8, 2000-- Deadlines
The Florida Secretary of State (and George Bush campaign chair) Katherine Harris gives the Gore campaign a deadline of November 14 to recount all the votes. The Florida Supreme Court extends that deadline to November 26. -
Machine Recounts for All
An incomplete count puts George W. Bush in the lead by less than 2,000 votes. Since it is so close, a recount is ordered in all Florida counties. The machine recount is completed in all but one county by the next day. -
Hand Recounts and a Lawsuit
The results are so close that hand recounts are requested in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Volusia. George W. Bush files a lawsuit in federal court to stop this manual recount. -
Deadline Drama
Officials in Volusia County tries to extend the November 14th recount deadline, but Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris refuses to agree. A U.S. District judge refuses to halt the recount. -
Keep Counting (With Written Justifications)
George W. Bush appeals the decision to keep recounting. Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris states that counties wanting to manually recount must submit a written justification for doing so by 2:00 PM on November 15th. A judge rules that counties can keep counting and update their results after the initial November 14th deadline. -
An Attempt to Stop the Recount
The 11th Circuit Court agrees to hear Bush's appeal. Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris attempts to stop the manual recounts but is denied by the Florida Supreme Court. Katherine Harris then says she will not accept any hand recounts when it is time for her to certify the election. -
Gore and Bush in Court
Al Gore goes to court to try to prevent Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris from certifying the election until after the manual recounts are done. The Florida Supreme Court orders that the manual recount can continue and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denies George W. Bush's request to stop the manual recounts. -
Recounts Must Count
The Florida Supreme Court hears oral arguments on whether or not Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris should count the hand-recounted ballots when certifying the election results. The next day, they rule unanimously that the state must include the results of any manual recounts in the final tally for certification. -
Recounts (And Court Drama) Continue
George W. Bush and Al Gore continue to go back and forth in the court system, filing appeals and motions to either further or halt the recount. In the meantime, recounts continue. -
Oral Arguments Begin
Oral arguments begin in the United States Supreme Court. The Florida Supreme Court rejects the Democratic Party's request for a hand recount of disputed ballots in two counties. The Florida Supreme court also upheld the legitimacy of the design of the butterfly ballot. -
The Recount is Stayed
The United States Supreme Court stays the Florida recount. -
The Supreme Courts Rule
The Florida Supreme Court rejects both lawsuits that sought to disqualify thousands of absentee ballots, ruling that they must be counted. The U.S. Supreme court reverses the ruling of the Florida Supreme Court and ends the recounts.