Professors discuss recount, political factors

As Florida officials recount every vote from Tuesday's presidential election, almost 800 miles away IU professors are discussing the potential effects of this historic race.\nThere are several political issues at work in this intensely close race between Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore.\nThe candidate who wins the popular vote might not win the Electoral College vote, therefore losing the election, only the third time in history and the first in the 20th Century. Legal activity from both sides is possible after the recount, delaying the naming of the president-elect. Charges of voter fraud have run rampant during this election cycle as well. \nBut Gerald Wright, professor of political science, said he hopes these matters are quickly resolved to ensure a smooth shift in leadership. \n"There are a lot of decisions that have to be made, and instead of having a president that is putting together an administration, we're having ones that may potentially be tied up in fits of political maneuvering," Wright said. "There will be so much pressure on the candidates to come to a resolution."\nThe recounting of the ballots is mandatory under Florida state law because Bush and Gore were separated by less than one-half of 1 percent of the vote. Florida officials said they expect to be finished tabulating the numbers by the end of the day Thursday. \nDepending on the outcome, both the Republicans and Democrats could potentially seek legal action. \nLaw professor Daniel Conkle said if legal proceedings drag on for several weeks after the election, the next step in the process is unpredictable. He said any legal questions would first arise from state election laws. Then the candidates could move on to federal and constitutional claims.\n"You have various sorts of unanswered questions because this situation, to my knowledge, has never arisen," Conkle said. "I hope that the worst case scenario doesn't happen, but I am worried that it might."\nThe scenario Conkle is referring to is if the legal issues are not resolved when the Electoral College convenes in December, the United States could be left with no president-elect. If the proceedings continue further, no legal precedent exists for the vacancy of the presidency on Inauguration Day.\n"All of this is quite problematic given the issue of time," Conkle said. "If ... the president of the United States is not determined in a timely fashion, we have some very serious issues and potential problems."\nWright said the election is rapidly moving into uncharted territory. He said the only presidential race he is aware of with the chance for a recount was in the 1960 contest between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy.\nConkle said rumors were circulating in Illinois that voter fraud had turned the state over to Kennedy late in the day. He said Nixon did not follow up on the rumors, putting out the chance for legal proceedings. \nWright said whichever candidate is elected president will still not have won a majority of American votes. He said this is another issue that needs to be addressed in the American electoral system. \n"All this maneuvering would be to elect a candidate that does not have a popular majority, and he will lack a certain legitimacy," Wright said. "Everyone appreciates the need for a rapid and clean decision."\nWhile all the speculation continues in the coming days, the families of the two candidates are taking a slightly different approach to the situation.\n"We thought it would be close," Jeb Bush, governor of Florida and George W. Bush's brother, said in a press conference. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine it would be this close"