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Election
Day 2004: "Ground Zero is All Over the Country"
American Conservative Magazine Endorses Kerry
Same Sex Marriage, Stem Cell Research, Electoral College:
An Overview of Ballot Initiatives Across the Nation
Voting Problems Widespread in Florida, Pennsylvania
Fighting for the Right to Vote
National Election Pool: How the Networks Are Calling the
2004 Election
Election Day 2004: "Ground Zero is All Over
the Country"
Today is D-Day, Election Day 2004. The polls are open and
millions are lining up to cast their votes in an election
that many feel is the most important of their lifetime. With
fears of a repeat of the 2000 election, the eyes of the nation
focus on the simplest of issues: The right to vote. [includes
rush
transcript]
The polls are open and millions of Americans are lining up
to cast their votes in an election that many feel is the most
important in their lifetime. Virtually every major national
poll is putting the presidential contest in a too-close-to-call
dead heat. There are thousands of election observers and lawyers
from various sides deployed at polling stations throughout
the country and the possibility of another contested election
looms over today's vote.
Overnight, there were some major last minute court decisions
that could impact the outcome in some key states. In Ohio,
an 11th hour blow was dealt to the Democrats in the hotly
contested battleground state as an appeals court in Cincinnati
overturned two lower court decisions, clearing the way for
Republican vote challengers to be present at polling places
throughout the state. The Democrats had sought to ban the
challengers, saying they were part of a possible voter intimidation
effort. Meanwhile, in South Dakota, where Senate Minority
leader Tom Daschle is fighting a very close contest to retain
his powerful seat, a federal judge has granted a request by
Daschle to limit the activities of Republican poll watchers.
The ruling comes after the minority leader accused his opponent,
John Thune, and the GOP of intimidating Native American voters.
As part of the ruling, Republican poll watchers are prohibited
from following American Indian voters out of polling places.
They're also not allowed to take down their license plate
numbers. The decision applies only to voters in one county
- Charles Mix.
As the court battles continue, the candidates made their
final sprint across the country yesterday, with each of them
visiting more than a half a dozen states. Here's some of what
President Bush had to say at a campaign rally yesterday in
Iowa.
- President Bush, speaking in Des Moines, Iowa.
Meanwhile, John Kerry continues to get a boost from music
legend Bruce Springsteen. Yesterday, in Ohio, the boss warmed
up a massive crowd at a rally for Kerry. Shortly before that
stop, the Democratic candidate addressed a rally in Detroit,
Michigan.
- Sen. John Kerry, speaking in Detroit, Michigan.
John Kerry speaking yesterday in Michigan. Well, today we
are going to spend the hour looking at the key issue of today
and that is the simple issue of the right to vote.
- Chellie Pingree, president and CEO of Common
Cause, a national non-partisan advocacy organization
that is providing information, updated throughout Election
Day, on voting trouble spots in key states, based on a voter
alert line and on-the-ground monitoring.
- Miles Rapoport, president of Demos,
a non-partisan, non-profit organization. He is a former
Secretary of the State of Connecticut.
American Conservative Magazine Endorses Kerry
John Kerry received an endorsement from what many thought
was an unlikely source: The American Conservative magazine.
We speak with the author of the magazine's editorial, Scott
McConnell. [includes rush
transcript]
More than 220 newspapers across the country are endorsing
John Kerry for president, far more than President Bush. But
last week, Kerry received an endorsement from what many would
call the most unlikely of sources: "The American Conservative."
The magazine is edited by three-time presidential candidate
and conservative pundit Pat Buchanan.
In the article endorsing Kerry, the American Conservative
writes: "The only way Americans will have a presidency
in which neoconservatives and the Christian Armageddon set
are not holding the reins of power is if Kerry is elected.
If Kerry wins, this magazine will be in opposition from Inauguration
Day forward."
Same Sex Marriage, Stem Cell Research, Electoral
College: An Overview of Ballot Initiatives Across the Nation
While all eyes are focused on the presidential race, voters
today will also be deciding on a number of different initiatives,
referendums and recalls that will appear. We get an overview
of the some of the propositions on ballots across the country.
[includes rush
transcript]
As millions of Americans across the country head to the polls
on this Election Day, much of the attention is focused on
the closely fought presidential election as well as a few
key House and Senate races. But when voters hit the polls
today they will also be deciding on a number of different
initiatives, referendums and recalls that will appear on the
ballots.
In California, Proposition 71 would establish a constitutional
right to conduct stem cell research and raise $3 billion.
In Colorado, Amendment 36 would allocate the state's nine
electoral college votes proportionally to each candidate's
popular vote instead of giving them all to the statewide winner.
In Arizona, Proposition 200 would require all residents of
the state to prove they are citizens to receive any public
services and to vote.
But the most popular topic this election year is marriage,
with 13 states asking voters to decide if marriage should
be defined as between a man and a woman.
In total, voters in 34 states will decide 162 ballot propositions.
- John Matsusaka, President of the Initiative & Referendum
Institute at the University of Southern California. The
Institute runs a website called BallotWatch
that monitors ballot initiatives across the country. He
is a professor at the Marshall School of Business &
School of Law at USC and the author of the book "For
the Many or the Few: The Initiative Process, Public Policy,
and American Democracy."
Voting Problems Widespread in Florida, Pennsylvania
Reports of voter suppression, intimidation and confusion
are pouring in from battleground states around the country.
We go to Florida to speak with State Senator Tony Hill in
Jacksonville and we go to Philadelphia to speak with Janet
Ryder, a Voter Protection Coordinator in Philadelphia. [includes
rush
transcript]
- Tony Hill, Florida state senator from Jacksonville where
27,000 voters were thrown out in the 2000 election. Already
today complaints are pouring into his office from constituents
who say they are having voting troubles.
- Miles Rapoport, president of Demos,
a non-partisan, non-profit organization. He is a former
Secretary of the State of Connecticut.
- Janet Ryder, the Philadelphia Voter Protection Coordinator
of the AFL-CIO.
Fighting for the Right to Vote
We speak with Ralph Neas president of the People for the
American Way Foundation and Barbara Arnwine executive director
of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
National Election Pool: How the Networks Are Calling
the 2004 Election
In the 2000 election four years ago, the major news networks
helped trigger chaos when they called the pivotal state of
Florida a little too early. To avoid repeating the mistakes
of 2000, the networks have replaced the Voter News Service
- a consortium of media outlets that conducted the exit polling
and vote counting - with a new system called the National
Election Pool.
As the nation votes today in one of the closest presidential
races in U.S. history, millions across the country and the
world will tune in to their televisions tonight to find out
who will be the country's next president.
In the 2000 election four years ago, the major news networks
helped trigger chaos when they called the pivotal state of
Florida a little too early.
- Montage of major newscasts calling the election in 2000.
Some of the sights and sounds of the major news networks
four years ago. To avoid the mistakes of 2000, the networks
have replaced the Voter News Service - a consortium of media
outlets that conducted the exit polling and vote counting
- with a new system called the National Election Pool. And
this time around the networks say they are placing certainty
over speed. This is NBC news VP Bill Wheatley. Today we take
a look at how the networks are going to call the election.
- Jonathan Storm, reporter and television critic for the
Philadelphia Inquirer.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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