I said that this was going to be a historically close election, that it was quite possible that one presidential candidate would carry the popular vote while the other won the presidency by capturing the Electoral College vote, and that the counting would not be conclusive on election night.
Unfortunately, all of my fearful forecasts proved correct. With Vice President Al Gore holding onto a 271,867 vote lead out of more than 100 million votes cast, and clinging to a 260-to-246 lead in electoral votes over Texas Gov. George W. Bush, we all await the recount of the votes from the state of Florida to determine who the next president of the United States will be. Oregon's electoral votes are also yet to be determined, but its seven electoral votes will not make a difference in the outcome. Florida's 25 electoral votes will decide the race.
What happens next? Not much, I am afraid, until we have the final tally of the votes in Florida, and in the best of circumstances we may not have that tally -- and thus the nation's tally -- for another week. Here is what a recount in Florida involves: