Q&A;

Some questions and answers about the election and the vote recount in Florida that could decide whether Vice President Al Gore or Texas Gov. George W. Bush will be the next president:

Who won the popular vote?

Gore leads Bush by about 200,000 votes nationwide out of about 100 million cast, according to incomplete and unofficial returns.

What about the electoral college?

A candidate need not win a majority of popular votes to become president, just a majority in the electoral college. In a presidential election, voters cast ballots for 538 electors, not directly for president and vice president. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the White House. In 48 states, whoever wins a state wins all the state’s electors. In Maine and Nebraska, two electors are chosen at large by statewide popular vote; the rest are selected by popular vote in each congressional district.

Why is Florida so important?

Not counting Florida, Bush has won 246 electoral votes and Gore 262. Whoever wins Florida’s 25 electoral votes wins the presidency.

Can electors switch their votes?

Yes, but electors are expected to cast their ballots as decided by their state’s voters. While there is no constitutional provision or federal law binding electors to candidates, about half the states have laws requiring electors to vote as pledged. Legal experts say, however, that such laws are probably unconstitutional.

Who are the electors?

Each state party appoints a group of electors for each candidate, primarily party loyalists, equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress. The District of Columbia gets three electors.

Why was a statewide recount conducted in Florida?

The recount was mandated by Florida law because the vote was so close. State laws control most aspects of voting, even in federal elections, so Florida law also would likely govern any potential legal challenges to the outcome.

When will Florida have a final result?

Unclear. Absentee ballots mailed from overseas have until Friday to arrive in Florida. Also, a manual recount of all votes in Volusia County is scheduled to start today. Palm Beach County was already recount-ing a portion of the ballots by hand to determine if a larger recount is warranted. Broward County is slated to begin a partial hand recount Monday. Pending before officials in Miami-Dade County is a request by the Gore camp for a hand recount.

In Palm Beach County there were 10,582 ballots--ballots that were not disqualified--that did not record a vote for any presidential candidate. Why?

It’s possible that some voters simply did not indicate a choice for president. It’s also possible, however, that the ballot was not punched properly. If the hole is not punched through, for example, the paper “chad” clinging to the ballot would prevent the computer from reading the ballot. Could such ballots still influence the race? Yes. There is a chance such ballots could be included during recounts underway or requested and a vote recorded if the chad falls off, which often happens when the ballot is run through a machine a second time.

In Palm Beach County, 19,120 ballots were disqualified. Why?

The ballots were disqualified because voters punched two holes for presidential candidates. As a result, no presidential votes were recorded from these ballots. Although some reports have said these ballots were “tossed out,” that does not mean they were destroyed.

Some voters have charged that a confusing ballot used in Palm Beach County caused some Gore supporters to vote accidentally for Reform candidate Pat Buchanan. They have alleged that the ballot’s design violates Florida law. Is the ballot legal?

According to Florida officials, the ballot is legal. The ballot in question is the “butterfly” ballot, in which names of candidates appear opposite each other on facing pages. Confusion on the ballot’s legality has arisen, state officials said, because a Florida law governing paper ballots says voters must place a cross to the right of a candidate’s name. On a butterfly ballot, the voter punches a hole that can appear to the left or right of a candidate’s name.

Could there be a revote in Florida?

Court-ordered elections are rare nationwide, but a Florida judge did order a revote two years ago in the disputed Miami mayor’s race, citing “fraudulent, intentional and criminal conduct” involving absentee votes. Ultimately, the election was over-turned, but not on a revote--an appeals court found enough evidence to reverse the election.

Will there be recounts in other states?

Uncertain, but Democratic and Republican officials have mentioned the possibility of recounts in other states with tight races, such as Iowa, Wisconsin and New Mexico.

Automatic recounts, like the one conducted in Florida when the margin dipped below 0.5%, do not occur in Iowa or Wisconsin. In Iowa, if the vote margin is less than 1%--as it is now in Gore’s favor--a candidate can ask for a recount without paying for it. If the margin is higher, the candidate must post a $99,000 bond for a statewide recount. In Wisconsin, a recount is free if the margin of victory is less than 0.5%, as it is now, according to the state election code. There is no provision for an automatic recount in New Mexico. After Nov. 28, the day the secretary of state certifies the election, anyone can request a recount. The request is auto-matically granted if the requesting party is willing to pay for the recount.

What’s the deadline for picking a new president?

Bill Clinton is president until Jan. 20, when the new president is sworn in. The presidential electors meet Dec. 18, usually in their state capitals, to vote for president and vice president. On Jan. 6, the president of the Senate--Vice President Gore--announces the winner to a joint session of Congress.

What if the situation isn’t settled by Dec. 18? Could the electoral college vote without Florida?

Scholarly opinion is divided on this question. Some argue the president can be chosen without every state’s electoral votes being counted because the Constitution only requires a majority of the electors, not that every elector votes. By this reasoning, if Florida’s votes are left in limbo or removed for some legal reason, the remaining electors would pick the president. Such a scenario probably would give Gore the presidency. Other scholars argue, however, that if neither candidate can obtain at least 270 votes, the issue would go to the House of Representatives. There, each state delegation would have one vote, and a majority of delegations are dominated by Republicans.

Has there ever been an election like this?

In 1960, John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon by 0.2% of the vote, but the electoral college outcome was clear. Only three times before has a presidential candidate lost the popular vote but won the electoral college.

Why was the electoral college created?

The electoral college was created as a compromise between direct election of the president and election by Congress. Proponents claimed the system would protect minority interests and require distributed popular support. Modern-day supporters of the electoral college say the system gives small states a say in presidential elections because it discourages candidates from spending all their time campaigning in big urban areas.

Source: Staff and wire reports

Source: Staff and wire reports; Elections Division, Florida Department of State