(2006-0221-F) 2000 Presidential Election Recount in Florida

The materials in FOIA 2006-0221-F are a selective, not necessarily all inclusive, body of documents
responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials.
FOIA request 2006-0221-F consists of Automated Records Management System (ARMS) Emails along
with materials originating from the White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject
Files, the White House Office of Speechwriting, and National Security Council (NSC) Emails.
On November 16, 2000, during an impromptu press session in Brunei, President Clinton offered the
following response to questions concerning fallout from the 2000 Presidential Election in the State of
Florida:
“I don’t think I should be involved in that.”
From November 7, 2000 to December 13, 2000, presidential candidates George W. Bush and Albert
Gore, Jr. were locked in a bitter political and legal struggle arguing how, when, and where recounts of
votes in Florida would take place. President Clinton and the White House charted a course of neutrality
in the midst of the ongoing controversy, choosing to focus on other matters as the Gore and Bush
campaigns and their political allies fought the issue out in the media and the courts.
The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject Files for this particular request
consists of one record. It is President Clinton’s November 11, 2000 radio address. Striking an
optimistic tone, the President’s address interpreted the contentious events in Florida as a sign of a
resilient and vibrant American political system.
The White House Staff and Office Files contain records from the White House Office of Speechwriting.
Typical of this collection is a file containing records related to President Clinton’s November 8, 2000
remarks. This file holds the final draft of the President’s remarks as well as background research on
statements from earlier outgoing Presidents on the results of past elections. It also contains
congratulatory statements prepared for both Gore and Bush contingent on the outcome of the election.
The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) Emails consist largely of records related to
transcripts of press conferences. In these sessions with members of the media, White House Press
Secretary Jake Siewert reiterates the official White House position on the election. An example of this
stance came during a November 21, 2000 press conference where Siewert responds to a question
demanding the President’s opinion on the impact of a Florida Supreme Court decision with the
following:
“That’s not useful really for us to say what the ultimate decision on this
will be at this point, and I think the President has tried very carefully not
to get wrapped up in the legal wranglings here, and I think we will continue to
do that from this podium.”
This conscious effort to stay above the fray in Florida did not prevent first-hand accounts of voting
irregularities in Florida from reaching the White House. A forwarded November 10, 2000 email from
the son of a Palm Beach County Precinct Clerk offered a direct analysis of the difficulties employees
and voters of that county were having with “butterfly” voting ballots and a voting process designed and
administered by Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Theresa LePore. In another account from a
November 15, 2000 email, a native of Palm Beach County gives his assessment of the ballot and the
general lack of organizational efficiency at the polls from a voter’s perspective.
The NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems contain transcripts of press conferences and
Presidential remarks. Characteristic of this collection is a transcript from a December 9, 2000 session
where President Clinton comments on a Florida Supreme Court decision authorizing another recount. In
his responses to press questioning, the President states his belief that the effort to get the most accurate
result possible will legitimize the electoral process in the eyes of the voters regardless of the winner.