Forty-nine percent of Americans see “serious problems in this country’s system of electing the president,” up from 32 percent a month ago — a 17-point rise. There’s been a commensurate drop in those who say it’s “just what can happen in a very close election.”
    

The Election Situation...
	12/10	11/2
Reveals serious problems with the system	49%	32%
Is just what can happen in a close race	50%	65%

These views represent an island of relative bipartisanship in the election controversy — 52 percent of independents, 50 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans all now see serious problems in the system. Similarly, about half of Democrats and Republicans alike say they’re personally worried about the situation.
     Part of the problem: Doubt about the accuracy of Florida’s vote count, coupled with skepticism about a better way. Just 46 percent of Americans are now confident in the vote count in Florida, the fewest yet. But the public divides, 50-46 percent, on whether the hand recount would be any better. (Eight in 10 of Gore’s supporters say yes; eight in 10 of Bush’s say no.)
     If a recount were completed, and if Gore did win it, 51 percent say they’d want to see him declared the winner — but there are a few “ifs” there. Forty-three percent say they’d want Bush to retain the title on the basis of the previously certified tally.

Partisans and Independents
Most other views continue to be largely ruled by political preferences. Americans divide about evenly, 51-48 percent, on whether the U.S. Supreme Court was wrong or right to halt Florida’s recount. Eight in 10 Democrats say the court was wrong, three-quarters of Republicans say it was right, and independents divide down the middle.
     Independents are a bit more apt to say that after its hearing today the court should rule in favor of letting the hand recount proceed. Mainly as a result, 53 percent overall say the court should let the recount go forward; 43 percent say it should not, with the rest undecided.

The Court Order
The court does appear to have lost a little public confidence as a result of its order. Two-thirds still express some confidence it will be even-handed, but that’s slipped by 10 points in the last week.
     Again that’s a partisan view; while 83 percent of Bush supporters express some confidence the court will be even-handed, that falls to 47 percent of Gore supporters — down dramatically from 71 percent of Gore supporters a week ago.
    

Confident the Court Will Be Fair
All		66%
Bush Supporters		83%
Gore Supporters		47%

Twenty-five percent of Americans say they have a lower opinion of the high court as a result of its order Saturday (most of them Democrats); somewhat fewer, 15 percent have a higher opinion of the court. Most, though, say their view of the court didn’t change.
     The court’s overall marks for its handling of the case are marginally positive — 51 percent approve, 40 percent disapprove. While that’s hardly a broad endorsement, it’s a bit better than the Bush campaign’s ratings (50-47 percent approve/disapprove), and much better than the Gore campaign’s or the Florida State Supreme Court’s.
     The Gore campaign’s approval rating is 16 points weaker than the Bush campaign’s, perhaps reflecting some fatigue with the dispute. Indeed Bush has opened up a bit of an advantage in preference as the eventual winner, 47-39 percent.
    

Handling of the Situation by the...
	Approve	Disapprove
U.S. Supreme Court	51%	40%
Bush Campaign	50%	47%
Gore Campaign	34%	63%
Florida Supreme Court	33%	62%

The Lawmakers
Involvement by Florida’s state legislature does not look popular; 62 percent say they’d disapprove of its stepping in to try to determine a winner. Fifty-four percent say they’d also disapprove of involvement by the U.S. Congress.

Legitimacy
Finally, views on legitimacy are essentially unchanged: Majorities of Americans say they’re prepared to see either candidate as legitimately elected, though more say this of Bush (71 percent) than of Gore (58 percent).
     Gore supporters are more likely to consider Bush legitimately elected if he wins — 47 percent — than Bush supporters who say they’d see Gore as legitimate, 28 percent.

Methodology
This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Dec. 10, 2000, among a random national sample of 605 adults. The results have a four-point error margin. Field work by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.

Previous ABCNEWS polls can be found in our Poll Vault.