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Sunday Morning News

Broward County Election Official Discusses Progress of Recount

Aired November 19, 2000 - 10:18 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now as the vote recounting continues, so, of course, does the controversy. Republicans have called the process unfair and chaotic. Democrats, of course, disagree.

Now for an inside look at the controversy, we're joined by a Broward County vote counter. Mary Hall has been with the Broward County Election Office for 14 years.

Mary, have you ever seen anything like this?

MARY HALL, BROWARD COUNTY VOTE COUNTER: This is a new historical event. We have never gone through any event in this manner.

PHILLIPS: What do you think? Are you going to stick around or are you going to retire after this one?

HALL: No. I'm too young to retire. So I have to keep working.

PHILLIPS: Well, how are you feeling, Mary? Give us a sense for the mood and how everybody's doing.

HALL: The mood -- everyone's tired. They're stressed out. We -- hoping that this procedure will soon end.

PHILLIPS: You ...

HALL: We're ready to get on with our lives.

PHILLIPS: I can just imagine.

The Democrats, Republicans sitting sometimes very close to each other, if not right next to each other. Tell me about the conversations that have been going on and the reactions. What have been some of the memorable moments thus far in that tense little room?

HALL: Well, as far as the Republican and the Democrat observers, they're not allowed to have any type of conversation as far as when we're counting or of any manner. Only the counters are in position to count. The observers -- all they're there to do is observe.

PHILLIPS: What do you think has been the most memorable moment for you thus far?

HALL: The most memorable moment? PHILLIPS: Yes.

HALL: Is ripping, running, not getting enough sleep.

PHILLIPS: There we go. I want you to relax a little bit. Tell us, you know, kind of how it's going.

Well, how does it stand right now? Are the ballots almost finished? Are we close? Where -- where does it stand?

HALL: In Broward County we have 609 precincts. As of today, hopefully -- we're halfway completed. In another few days, we should have this actual event ending.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, we hope it ends pretty soon, too, so we can get some final numbers.

Thanks, Mary, so much for joining us and giving us a little insight to the counting going on there in Broward County.

HALL: Have a good day.

PHILLIPS: Get some sleep. You, too -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We wish them well. She seems -- they seem to be doing OK, though.

As the arithmetic continues, the counting continues, so, too, do the opinions. And we are hearing lots of opinions from people all around this country by e-mail, by phone. And we have been out in the streets with many of our reporters sampling your opinions.

CNN's Brian Palmer checks in with the mood of the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It seems like the process will never end.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The election's so anticlimactic at this point.

PALMER: The counting and recounting and sometimes not counting of Florida's presidential ballots.

Americans may be angry, like this former Democratic Party worker in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the process is unfair. I think that it is fixed.

PALMER: Or these demonstrators also in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED DEMONSTRATORS: (INAUDIBLE)

PALMER: They may be pleased like this social worker. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" to me. I love it.

PALMER: Or they may be just plain tired like these San Franciscans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Feel like people are a little bored with it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm way bored of it.

PALMER: But across the country, most people are keeping close tabs on election developments. Here, a New York Democrat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it has to go until it's really fully complete in an honest way.

PALMER: For all those who say the system is working, there are those like this mechanical engineer from Connecticut, a Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush has won the election count three times. And the Democrats need to learn that three is bigger than zero.

PALMER: At the annual football game between Harvard, Al Gore's old school, and Yale, where George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Joe Lieberman went to college.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beat Harvard!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll see if the difference between the presidential candidates come down -- comes down to as close a -- close a game as the football game.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope that Harvard wins today and that that's a precursor of what the outcome is in Florida.

PALMER: But, regardless of their opinions, the most Americans can do now is wait for and, if they choose to, watch election 2000 play out.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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