President Elected in 2000- Complete Election Results
The 2000 Presidential Election: A Race That Came Down to 537 Votes
The 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore is the most controversial election in modern American history. It wasn't decided by the popular vote—it came down to a razor-thin margin in Florida that triggered recounts, lawsuits, and a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. Bush won the presidency despite Gore getting roughly 500,000 more popular votes nationwide.
You need to understand what happened because it reshaped how America runs elections. The chaos of those 36 days defined political strategy for the next two decades.
The Candidates
George W. Bush (Republican)
Bush was the governor of Texas. His campaign focused on tax cuts, education reform, and a "compassionate conservative" message. He positioned himself as a foreign policy outsider who would bring fresh leadership to Washington.
Al Gore (Democrat)
Gore was the incumbent Vice President under Bill Clinton. He ran on his experience and distanced himself from Clinton's scandals. His platform emphasized prescription drug coverage for Medicare, environmental protection, and campaign finance reform.
Ralph Nader (Green Party)
Nader pulled nearly 2.7 million votes nationally. Democrats blamed him for spoiling the election for Gore, especially in Florida where Nader got 97,488 votes. The margin between Bush and Gore was 537 votes.
The Florida Recount Battle
Florida's 25 electoral votes decided the entire election. On election night, Bush held a lead of around 1,700 votes—narrow enough to trigger an automatic machine recount under Florida law.
Gore's team requested manual recounts in four counties: Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Volusia. This is where things got messy.
The Butterfly Ballot Disaster
Palm Beach County used a confusing "butterfly ballot" design. Thousands of voters accidentally punched the wrong hole, voting for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore. Buchanan received 17,484 votes in Palm Beach—more than triple his 1996 total in the county. The ballot design likely cost Gore the election.
What Got Recounted
- Undervotes – ballots where no vote was recorded for president
- Overvotes – ballots where two candidates were selected
- Damaged ballots that machines couldn't read
County election officials spent weeks examining ballots by hand. Each county had different standards for what counted as a valid vote. This inconsistency became the heart of the legal battle.
The Supreme Court Steps In
The Florida Supreme Court ordered statewide manual recounts on December 8, 2000. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that ruling two days later in Bush v. Gore (December 12, 2000).
The Court's reasoning was narrow—they said there wasn't enough time before the December 12 safe harbor deadline. But the 5-4 decision effectively handed Bush the presidency. The Court split along ideological lines, with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Justice Anthony Kennedy providing the deciding votes.
No one should pretend this was a normal legal ruling. Seven of the nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents. The decision ended the recounts before they could be completed.
Final 2000 Election Results
Bush won Florida by 537 votes out of nearly 6 million cast. That 0.009% margin decided the election.
- Bush: 271 electoral votes (needed 270 to win)
- Gore: 266 electoral votes
- Popular vote: Gore 48.4% | Bush 47.9%
- Popular vote margin: Gore +543,895
2000 Presidential Election Results Comparison
| Category | George W. Bush | Al Gore | Ralph Nader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republican | Democrat | Green |
| Home State | Texas | Tennessee | Connecticut |
| Popular Vote | 50,456,002 | 50,999,897 | 2,882,897 |
| Popular Vote % | 47.9% | 48.4% | 2.7% |
| Electoral Votes | 271 | 266 | 0 |
| Running Mate | Dick Cheney | Joe Lieberman | Winona LaDuke |
How the 2000 Election Changed Everything
The aftermath triggered real changes:
- Voting equipment: Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, dumping punch-card machines and funding new electronic voting systems
- Election administration: States standardized recount procedures and ballot standards
- Election law: Both parties now spend millions on election lawyers before polls even open
- Political strategy: Florida became the center of every presidential campaign—candidates have visited the state hundreds of times since 2000
The Electoral College survived despite calls to abolish it. Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidency—the second time in U.S. history this happened. The first was in 1888. It would happen again in 2016.
What Actually Decided the 2000 Election
Five things determined the outcome:
- The butterfly ballot in Palm Beach County
- Ralph Nader's third-party candidacy
- The Florida Supreme Court's initial recount order
- The U.S. Supreme Court's intervention
- 537 votes
That's it. Less than 600 votes out of 6 million in Florida separated two men who would lead the country in profoundly different directions. Bush launched the Iraq War. Gore became a global climate activist and won a Nobel Peace Prize. The country went in opposite directions depending on which candidate you think should have won.