Election 2000

We are experiencing a rare occurrence in American government history as we sit awaiting the final tally of the 2000 Presidential Election, one of the closest races in a presidential election in American history. The election indecision has created many controversies, from dubious voting practices and misleading ballots to the debate over using the Electoral College count instead of the popular vote count. In short, with the election results and balloting practices being moved into the courts, we are facing a constitutional crisis.

The election indecision has created a constitutional controversy when it comes to the selection of an American president. According to George C. Edwards III, director of Presidential Studies at Texas A&M University, "There's no justification for the Electoral College�none. We have invested so much in this nation in the principle of one person; one vote. And for someone�no matter who wins the popular vote�to quite legally take the presidency, entirely contrary to democratic principles, is very hard to justify" (Wildavsky, et al; 1). There are others who argue against this perspective. To many, the rules of presidential selection are rooted in federalist principles and were designed by the founding fathers of this nation to protect small states.

The Constitution was designed to protect small states in the sense that by choosing a president based on state-by-state selection instead of the majority vote,

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tice Department. If the situation comes to a head and the process moves to a revote among the Electoral College, the state electors can decide to vote for someone other than the final vote tally in their state if they believe it is in the public interest to do so. To this end, the Gore campaign has been working behind the scenes in case such a scenario presents itself "Warren Christopher has been checking into the background of Republican electors, with an eye toward persuading a handful of them to vote for Mr. Gore" (Simpson 1). There are other ramifications of the eventual outcome of the presidential election held in 2000 where neither candidate won. Despite what the outcome eventually becomes, many political theorists argue that either potential president will be severely hampered in passing significant legislation because of the fact that the election showed one candidate was favored among voters while the other won via the electoral college. Even though Bush, if elected president, will have a favorable majority in the House and Senate, experts say he will still face perhaps insurmountable odds in getting anything done "If Bush is elected, he will be forever known as the President who came in second with voters, then was

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