Florida declares Bush winner by 537 votes

Amid talk of possible court challenges by both parties, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris declared George W. Bush the winner over Al Gore by a 537-vote margin last night — allowing the Texas governor to take Florida's 25 electoral votes and to leap ahead of Gore in the race for the presidency.

If the results Harris certified yesterday stand, Bush will win the presidency with a razor-thin margin in the electoral college over Gore, 271-267, according to unofficial Associated Press electoral counts.

But the certification does not appear to be the end to an election that has gone undecided for nearly three weeks. While Bush declared himself the victor last night in a nationally televised speech, Gore refused to concede defeat.

Both parties said they would continue their battles in court, with Gore's lawyers expected to contest the recount results. Pivotal for the Gore campaign again is Palm Beach County.

Unable to complete its recount by yesterday's 5 p.m. deadline, the county sought an extension. Harris, however, denied the request and threw out the incomplete recount results the county had submitted on time. With 800 to 1,000 questionable ballots left uncounted, Gore had a net gain of 180 votes, according to The Associated Press.

The new certified vote count in Florida reflects a 567-vote net gain for Gore in Broward County. Bush also gained votes from several counties' overseas absentee ballot recounts, adding to the slim lead he had before this round of recounts.

Floridian tigers

More than 1,000 miles away from their homes, Princetonians from Florida remain as divided about the election as their fellow state citizens.

Some criticized Harris' decision to certify the Florida vote despite declarations from several counties that last night's 5 p.m. deadline was too soon.

"They hadn't all finished recounting all the votes," said Devon O'Keefe '01, who is from Orange County. "I don't see why they don't let them finish to be fair to both sides."

A Gore supporter, O'Keefe admitted, though, that most people she has talked with at home are ready for an end to the election. "It's definitely still on people's minds, and I think a lot of people are ready for it all to end. It's very frustrating," she said.

Other Princeton Floridians noted, however, that the election appears to be far from over.

Russell Eckenrod '01, also a Gore supporter, said he believes the courts have much of the control now.

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"It's pretty inexcusable for [Harris] not to allow counties to finish recounts. The partisanship she has displayed is dismaying," Eckenrod said, adding that he believes Harris has political ambitions that are preventing her from fulfilling her role as an unbiased election official.

Parker Altman '02 — whose mother worked at a polling site in the disputed Palm Beach County — defended Harris' actions.

"Everything she has done is everything prescribed in law," he said. "She did what the state supreme court told her to do."

"Even though they altered the law, she still went ahead and followed their orders," Altman added.

Altman said the media, not Harris, has displayed bias during the election controversy — a feeling he said many of his fellow Florida residents share.

While Bush was portrayed in a bad light when he rejected Gore's offer to end the court battles, the media did not focus on Gore when he rejected Bush's offer, Altman said.

"The media is very liberal and been giving pretty-one sided arguments," Altman said.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)