Citizens Keep Talking About Election

Nov. 9 -- The sun rose today as it always has every morning in America and people went about their lives. Truckers drove the interstates delivering produce. Plumbers fixed leaky pipes. Insurance claims departments processed forms.

On the surface, the United States appeared the same two days after Election Day as it did two days prior, but the unresolved presidential election was the talk in nursing homes, at gasoline stations and in offices.

Watching and Waiting

The country is awaiting the result of a vote recount in Florida. While the recount of the ballots cast on Tuesday is expected to be completed by 5 p.m. today, the final outcome may have to await a count of overseas ballots, which have until 10 days after the election to arrive.

Whoever wins Florida’s 25 electoral votes wins the presidency. Oregon also is still up in the air, but that state’s seven electoral votes wouldn’t push either candidate to the 270 electoral votes needed to win.As of this morning, Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic candidate, held 260 electoral votes, and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican, held 246. A recount was mandatory because the margin was less than one-half of 1 percentage point of total Florida votes.

Meanwhile, residents are expressing their opinions about our country’s democratic process. Some are suspicious of possible shenanigans in Florida with allegations of confusing ballots and black voters being turned away from polls. Others are saying our system of choosing a president by Electoral College rather than popular vote makes no sense. A few felt angry with the press for miscalling the election.

But, generally, Americans interviewed by ABCNEWS.com were not terribly anxious that the transfer of power in our country would suffer because of possible legal disputes between the two parties regarding the vote count in Florida. Rather, they believed our democratic system would prevail.

‘A Farce’

Regardless of their optimism for the ultimate outcome, the so-called voter fraud issue in Florida raised concern.