In Florida, the 2000 election was very close. The morning after the election, neither candidate had officially won the state, though Bush led by around 1,800 votes. Florida state law required very close elections to be automatically recounted by machines. This first recount made the election even closer, giving Bush a lead of just over 300 votes. Gore then requested a recount to be done by hand in four counties, which Florida state law allows. The law also states, however, that the votes must be counted and approved by the Florida secretary of state within seven days of the election. This deadline was impossible for the counties to meet because the hand recount would take considerable time. Three of the four counties did not make the deadline, but the Florida secretary of state, Katherine Harris, announced that Bush had won the state on November 26th. This result was contested by Al Gore, who appealed to the Florida Supreme Court. The court ruled that any votes not counted by machines, mostly due to machine errors or rejections, must be counted by hand.
<span>It’s the law. Neither Bush nor Gore won over 50% of the popular vote. In Florida, Bush won by a small number of votes. Florida law requires a recount when the results are that close.</span>
