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White House 2000: Post-Election Polls
The Long Count: November Polls Recount polls from December


Polls listed chronologically.

Subscribers, see also: What Florida thinks of The Long Count

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CBS News/New York Times Poll. Nov. 27-28, 2000. N=1,012 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (total sample).

.

"It is possible in our election system for one presidential candidate to receive the most state ELECTORAL votes, while another candidate receives the most POPULAR votes nationwide. In this case, who do you think has a MORE legitimate claim to the presidency: the electoral vote winner or the popular vote winner, or does neither have a legitimate claim?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Electoral vote winner 40 27 67 28
Popular vote winner 43 59 21 48
Neither 10 8 8 12
Don't know 7 6 4 12

.

"As of now, which candidate has received more votes nationwide and is leading in the popular vote: George W. Bush, or Al Gore?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Bush 24 14 26 30
Gore 64 81 64 47
Don't know 12 5 10 23

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Bush campaign is handling the uncertain outcome of the presidential election?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Approve 50 26 81 43
Disapprove 41 66 15 40
Don't know 9 8 4 17

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Gore campaign is handling the uncertain outcome of the presidential election?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Approve 38 70 7 35
Disapprove 54 21 91 53
Don't know 8 9 2 12

.

"If Al Gore eventually becomes president in January, given all that has happened, do you think he could lead the country effectively, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Could 60 82 36 60
Could not 33 14 55 31
Don't know 7 4 9 9

.

"If George W. Bush eventually becomes president in January, given all that has happened, do you think he could lead the country effectively, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Could 65 39 93 64
Could not 26 52 2 23
Don't know 9 9 5 13

.

"If Al Gore eventually becomes president in January, would you say he legitimately won the election, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Legitimately won 50 78 22 49
Did not 39 12 70 37
Don't know 11 10 8 14

.

"If George W. Bush eventually becomes president in January, would you say he legitimately won the election, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Legitimately won 65 41 94 59
Did not 27 50 2 29
Don't know 8 9 4 12

.

"Do you think either of the presidential campaigns is placing politics above the good of the country?" If "Yes": "Which campaign is doing that: the Bush campaign or the Gore campaign?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Yes -- Bush campaign 17 32 4 16
Yes -- Gore campaign 26 8 54 17
Yes -- Both equally (vol.) 31 32 24 33
No, neither 16 17 13 20
Don't know 10 11 5 14

.

"When do you think the outcome of the election will finally be resolved: by the end of this week, within the next few weeks, or will it take longer than that?"
%
End of this week 13
Within the next few weeks 39
Longer than that 39
Already has (vol.) 1
Don't know 8

.

"Once the election is finally settled, do you think we will have gotten a fair and accurate vote count in Florida, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Yes, fair and accurate 38 27 56 33
No, not 47 56 32 52
Don't know 15 17 12 15

.

"Regardless of what the current vote total is, who do you think more voters in Florida INTENDED to vote for: Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Gore 40 75 8 37
Bush 35 11 62 36
Don't know 25 14 30 27

.

"Based on what you know so far, do you think one of the candidates should concede now or is it too soon for that?" If "Should concede": "Who do you think should concede: Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Yes -- Gore should 42 13 83 31
Yes -- Bush should 3 5 1 4
No, too soon 48 77 12 54
Don't know 7 5 4 11

.

"The Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris has now certified the results of the election in Florida, and declared George W. Bush the winner. Do you think the results that were certified are a fair and accurate count of how the majority of Florida voters cast their ballots, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Fair and accurate 47 14 89 43
Not fair and accurate 47 83 8 48
Don't know 6 3 3 9

.

"The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from the Bush campaign regarding the counting of ballots in Florida. Do you think it is a good idea or a bad idea for the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in the election?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Good idea 54 61 48 54
Bad idea 39 34 45 36
Don't know 7 5 7 10

.

"George W. Bush said he is confident he will be president so he has begun to select officials for his administration. Do you think he is right in starting to form his administration before the court cases surrounding the election are resolved, or should he wait until the court cases are decided?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
Non-
Voters
% % % %
Right to start 50 33 78 41
Should wait 47 64 20 57
Don't know 3 3 2 2

 

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Nov. 27, 2000. N=490 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4.5.

.

"Who do you think should be declared the winner of the presidential election in Florida? Do you think George W. Bush should be declared the winner, do you think Al Gore should be declared the winner, or do you think it is too soon to say?"
%
Bush 50
Gore 16
Too soon to say 31
Not sure 3

.

"Do you think that George W. Bush was right to claim victory and set up a transition operation, or do you think that he should have waited until the legal challenges in the courts had been decided?"
%
Was right to claim victory 44
Should have waited 51
Not sure 5

.

"Which of these two statements comes closer to your point of view?
"Statement A: Now that the vote in Florida has been certified, Al Gore should concede and stop all court actions.
"Statement B: Al Gore should not concede yet and should continue to await the results from the cases filed in the courts."
%
Gore should concede 49
Gore should not concede 49
Not sure 2

.

"Do you think that the Florida secretary of state's decision to certify George W. Bush as the winner in Florida was based on a fair and unbiased process, or do you think that it was based on an unfair and biased process?"
%
Fair and unbiased 49
Unfair and biased 44
Some of both (vol.) 4
Not sure 3

.

"Regardless of who wins the presidential election and with the results being so close, please tell me which one of these two statements comes closer to your point of view:
"Statement A: The country will be able to unite behind the winner, who will go on to accomplish a lot in the next four years.
"Statement B: The country will remain divided, and it will be hard for the winner to accomplish a lot over the next four years."
%
Will be able to unite 38
Will remain divided 54
Not sure 8

.

"The United States Supreme Court is hearing arguments this Friday on issues related to the Florida recount. As you may know, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president. Are you confident that the Supreme Court can make a fair and nonpartisan decision, or not?"
%
Confident can make a fair and nonpartisan decision 73
Not confident 19
Not sure 8

 

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Latest: Nov. 26-27, 2000. N=881 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4 for the total sample, ± 6 for Gore supporters and for Bush supporters.

.

"Which comes closer to your view: [rotate] you are willing to wait at least a little while longer for a final resolution to the presidential election situation, OR, the presidential election situation has gone on too long already?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
Willing to wait 37 67 9
Gone on too long already 62 32 90
No opinion 1 1 1

.

"Would you say that you strongly approve, approve, disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the way each of the following has handled the situation surrounding the results of the election for president? . . ."
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
George W. Bush and his campaign advisors
Strongly approve 11 1 25
Approve 43 25 61
Disapprove 32 52 11
Strongly disapprove 9 19 1
No opinion 5 3 2

.

Al Gore and his campaign advisors

Strongly approve 9 20 -
Approve 33 59 9
Disapprove 35 17 49
Strongly disapprove 19 3 40
No opinion 4 1 2

.

The news media
Strongly approve 5 6 5
Approve 43 55 30
Disapprove 35 28 43
Strongly disapprove 13 9 18
No opinion 4 2 4

.

Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris
Strongly approve 12 1 26
Approve 37 21 53
Disapprove 27 44 11
Strongly disapprove 13 25 3
No opinion 11 9 7

.

"Which of these statements do you think best describes the situation that has occurred since the election for president? [Rotate] It is a constitutional crisis. It is a major problem for the country, but is not a crisis. It is a minor problem for the country. OR, It is not a problem for the country at all."
11/26-27 11/19
% %
Constitutional crisis 10 10
Major problem, not a crisis 50 44
Minor problem 29 32
Not a problem at all 9 12
No opinion 2 2

.

"As you may know, the Florida secretary of state tonight/last night declared George W. Bush the winner of the presidential election in Florida, with 537 more votes than Al Gore. Several court cases concerning the Florida vote recount, including a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court, are still under way. As of today, do you think Al Gore should concede the election, or should he not concede?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
Should concede 56 36 81
Should not concede 38 59 16
No opinion 6 5 3

.

"As you may know, Palm Beach County was not able to submit all of its ballots by the 5:00 pm deadline on Sunday, and had to submit a partial count. What do you think the Florida secretary of state should have done: [rotate] give Palm Beach County more time to complete its recount, or stick to the 5:00 pm deadline for all counties?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
Give more time 44 80 8
Stick to deadline 54 18 91
No opinion 2 2 1

.

"Thinking about the media's coverage of the Florida recount, do you think the media have been [rotate] biased in favor of Al Gore or biased in favor of George W. Bush, or has it not been biased toward either candidate?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
Biased in favor of Gore 23 6 45
Biased in favor of Bush 10 18 4
Not biased toward either 63 74 48
No opinion 4 2 3

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Nov. 26, 2000. N=607 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4. Field work by TNS Intersearch.

.

"Tonight the Secretary of State in Florida declared George W. Bush as the winner of the election there. Al Gore says the votes were not counted fairly. Do you think Gore should concede the election and let Bush become president, or ask the courts to decide whether the vote count in Florida was fair?"
%
Gore should concede 60
Ask courts to decide 35
No opinion 6

.

"Earlier today officials in Palm Beach County asked for an extension until 9 a.m. tomorrow to finish their hand count of the votes there. The Florida secretary of state denied the request and said she would not accept any of the hand count in Palm Beach since it wasn't completed by the deadline of 5 p.m today. Do you think she did the right thing by keeping the 5 p.m. deadline or do you think she should have allowed the extension to 9 a.m. tomorrow?"
%
Did the right thing 56
Should have allowed extension 42
No opinion 2

 

CBS News Poll. Nov. 19, 2000. N=822 adults nationwide (MoE ± 3), including 684 registered voters (MoE ± 4).

.

Asked of registered voters: "Regardless of whom you supported for president, given all that has happened since the election, who would you rather see become president: George W. Bush or Al Gore?"
%
Bush 48
Gore 46
Neither (vol.) 2
Don't know 4

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Bush campaign is handling the uncertain outcome of the presidential election? ... Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Gore campaign is handling the uncertain outcome of the presidential election?"
Bush
Campaign
Gore
Campaign
% %
Approve 45 40
Disapprove 43 50
Don't know 12 10

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris is handling her job overseeing the vote count in Florida?"
%
Approve 45
Disapprove 42
Don't know 13

.

"When do you think the outcome of the Florida election will finally be resolved: by the end of this week, within the next few weeks, or will it take longer than that?"
%
By the end of this week 25
Within a few weeks 36
Longer than that 30
Don't know 9

.

"Have you lost patience with the fact that the election hasn't been resolved yet, or are you willing to wait longer for a resolution?"
%
Lost patience 45
Willing to wait 50
Depends (vol.) 2
Don't know 3

.

"Once the election is finally settled, do you think we will have gotten a fair and accurate vote count in Florida, or not?"
%
Yes, fair and accurate 41
Not fair and accurate 43
Don't know 16

.

"Regardless of what the current vote total is, who do you think more voters in Florida INTENDED to vote for, Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
%
Gore 41
Bush 41
Don't know 18

.

"Do you think the continuing controversy over the election in Florida is a big problem for this country, or do you think it is not really a problem?"
%
Big problem 66
Not really a problem 31
Don't know 3

.

"Do you think the results of hand counts taking place in several counties in Florida should be included in the official vote count, or not?"
%
Should be included 59
Should not be included 36
Don't know 5

.

"Would you favor or oppose setting a uniform poll closing time on election night, so that all polling places across the country close at the same time?"
%
Favor 71
Oppose 23
Don't know 6

 

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Latest: Nov. 16-17, 2000. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4 for the total sample, ± 6 for Gore supporters and ± 5 for Bush supporters.

.

"As you probably know, the outcome of the presidential election depends on whether George W. Bush or Al Gore is awarded the state of Florida. Right now, which ONE of the following do you think is more important? Getting matters resolved as soon as possible so we know who our next president is. Making certain to remove all reasonable doubt that the vote count has been fair and accurate."
11/16-17 11/9-11
% %
Resolve as soon as possible 36 25
Remove all reasonable doubt 61 72
Don't know 3 3

.

"Do you see the uncertainty about the vote in Florida and the delay in knowing who won the presidency as a sign of weakness in our political system OR as a sign of strength that we are peacefully taking the steps necessary to make sure the right candidate is declared the winner of a very close election?"
%
A sign of weakness 37
A sign of strength 52
Don't know 11

.

"In general, do you think counting punch-card votes in Florida by hand is MORE fair and accurate or LESS fair and accurate than counting punch-card votes by machine?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
More fair and accurate 43 67 20
Less fair and accurate 44 20 72
No difference (vol.) 5 5 3
Don't know 8 8 5

.

"Do you think the legal issues in dispute over the vote count in Florida are better resolved in the state courts, which have generally handled such issues in the past, or in the federal courts, because the outcome of the presidential election depends on what happens in Florida?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
In state courts 40 34 50
In federal courts 50 58 40
Don't know 10 8 10

.

"At what point do you think Bush and Gore should agree to accept the Florida results as final? On Saturday, after the overseas absentee ballots are all counted and combined with the results certified earlier this week -- as ordered by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. Only after the courts have finally decided whether or not counties that want hand recounts can have them considered. They should wait as long as it takes to ensure that all other legal challenges to the vote can be resolved."
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
After overseas ballots counted 48 24 73
After courts rule on hand recounts 17 23 12
Wait as long as it takes 33 51 12
Don't know 2 2 3

.

"Al Gore has said he would agree to accept the Florida results as final and drop all legal challenges if a hand recount is permitted in selected counties or across the entire state. Do you think Gore's proposal is reasonable grounds for a compromise solution to get matters resolved, or is just an attempt to make himself look better politically?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
Reasonable grounds for a solution 49 81 15
Attempt to look better politically 46 15 80
Don't know 5 4 5

.

"From what you've seen or heard, do you feel that Katherine Harris, the Republican Secretary of State, has handled the recount process fairly, or has been too partisan?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
Has handled fairly 50 22 80
Been too partisan 37 65 10
Don't know 13 13 10

.

"From what you've seen or heard about the issue of voters in Palm Beach County misinterpreting their so-called 'butterfly ballot' and mistakenly voting for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore, what do you think should happen? Should the entire county be asked to vote again, or should the ballot problem there be seen as the kind of honest mistake that occurs in many elections, not serious enough to require a new vote?"
ALL Gore
Sup-
porters
Bush
Sup-
porters
% % %
County should vote again 39 66 11
Not serious enough to require new vote 55 29 83
Don't know 6 5 6

.

"Now thinking about the way the two campaigns have used legal action in the dispute over the Florida vote: Do you think [see below] has gone to court more to make sure the vote is fairly counted OR more to try to gain the most advantage for their side in the way the vote is counted?"
Fairly
Counted
Gain
Advan-
tage
Don't
Know
% % %
The Bush campaign 36 56 8
The Gore campaign 41 53 6

.

"Regardless of how you might have voted last week, as of TODAY, who would you like to see become our next president: [rotate] Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
%
Bush 44
Gore 43
Other/Undecided 13

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Latest: Nov. 16, 2000. N=610 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4. Field work by TNS Intersearch.

.

"Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the way [see below] is handling the election situation."
Approve Disap-
prove
No
Opinion
% % %
The Bush campaign 46 48 5
The Gore campaign 45 51 5
Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris 40 50 10

.

"How confident are you that the Florida results will be counted accurately: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all?"
11/16 11/12
% %
Very confident 19 21
Somewhat confident 31 38
Not too confident 18 20
Not confident at all 28 18
No opinion 4 3

.

"Regardless of your preference, if the courts do not step in and the Florida vote tally becomes final without the hand recounts, would that be acceptable or unacceptable to you?"
%
Acceptable 61
Unacceptable 36
No opinion 2

.

"Regardless of your preference, if the courts do step in and order the hand recounts to be included in the final Florida vote tally, would that be acceptable or unacceptable to you?"
%
Acceptable 71
Unacceptable 26
No opinion 2

 

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Nov. 13, 2000. N=814 registered voters nationwide.

.

"Who do you think should be declared the winner of the presidential election in Florida? Do you think George W. Bush should be declared the winner, do you think Al Gore should be declared the winner, or do you think it is too soon to say?"
%
Bush 36
Gore 19
Too soon to say 39
Not sure 6

.

"Who do you think will be the next president of the United States: George W. Bush or Al Gore?"
%
Bush 47
Gore 24
Depends (vol.) 10
Not sure 19

.

"In general, do you feel that there has been a fair and honest national vote count in the presidential election, or do you worry that the vote count has been unfair?"
%
Fair and honest 43
Unfair 49
Not sure 8

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way [see below] has/have been handling the situation with the vote count in the presidential election?"
Approve Disap-
prove
Mixed
Feelings
(vol.)
Not
Sure
% % % %
Al Gore and his campaign 47 38 10 5
George W. Bush and his campaign 47 36 12 5
The media 41 41 15 3

.

"I’m going to read you a number of things that the Gore and Bush campaigns talked about as part of the vote-counting process. For each one, please tell me whether you think that it is an acceptable action to take or whether you think that the action is unacceptable.
Accept-
able
Unac-
cept-
able
Not
Sure
% % %
"The Gore campaign asked for a hand recount in four Florida counties."
58 40 2

.

"The Bush campaign indicated that it may seek a recount of the presidential votes in states where Al Gore won narrowly, such as in Iowa and Wisconsin."
56 39 5

.

"The Gore campaign supported groups desiring a total revote in Palm Beach County, Florida."
45 51 4

.

"The Bush campaign asked for a court ruling to prevent the use of a hand count in four Florida counties."
41 55 4

.

"Here are several options that might happen to determine which candidate would win the Florida electoral votes. As I read each item, please tell me whether it would or would not be an acceptable option to you.
Accept-
able
Unac-
cept-
able
Not
Sure
% % %
"Accept the results from the machine recount and the overseas absentee ballots."
71 26 3

.

"Do a hand recount in each of the four counties now disputed by the Democrats."
50 47 3

.

"Do a hand recount in all Florida counties."
43 54 3

.

"Have a new election, and re-vote in the entire state of Florida."
34 64 2

.

.

"Have a new election, and re-vote only in Palm Beach County."
25 72 3

.

"Which of the following options do you think would be a better approach to take in Florida? (A) It would be better to stop the recount and court cases, and declare a winner now. OR, (B) It would be better to recount the ballots, even if it will take several weeks to declare a winner."
%
Declare a winner now 41
Recount the ballots 55
Not sure 4

.

"How would you feel if Al Gore / George W. Bush were declared the winner of the presidential election? Would you say that you feel comfortable with him and prepared to support him as our new president, or not?"
Gore Bush
% %
Prepared to support 66 69
Not prepared to support 31 28
Not sure 3 3

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Nov. 12, 2000. N=762 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.5. Field work by TNS Intersearch.

.

"Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the way [see below] is/are handling the election situation."
Approve Disap-
prove
No
Opinion
% % %
The news media 48 43 8
The Bush campaign 46 45 9
The Gore campaign 44 47 9
Local officials in Florida 40 42 17

.

"How do you feel about the election situation overall? Are you personally worried about it, or not worried?"
%
Worried 47
Not worried 52
No opinion 1

.

"Do you think this situation reveals serious problems in this country’s system of electing the president, or do you think it’s just the kind of thing that can happen in a very close election?"

%
Reveals serious problems 32
Just what happens 65
No opinion 3

.

"For future presidential elections, would you support or oppose changing to a system in which the president is elected by direct popular vote, instead of by the electoral college?"
%
Support 63
Oppose 31
No opinion 6

.

"The candidate who wins Florida probably will win the electoral college and become the next president. Florida is recounting its votes because the election there was so close. Some people say the candidates should accept the recount in Florida when it’s completed, even if they think the voting there was unfair. Others say they should ask the courts to consider whether the voting was fair, even after the recount is completed. What do you think? Should the candidates [rotate] accept the recount OR ask the courts to look into these other issues?"
%
Accept the recount 67
Ask courts to examine 28
Depends (vol.) 1
No opinion 4

.

"As you may have heard, there have been complaints about the design of the ballot that was used in Palm Beach County, Florida. Have you seen that ballot in the newspaper or on television, or not?" If have seen: "In your own opinion, was that a fair or an unfair ballot?"
%
Have seen: Fair 39
Have seen: Unfair 36
Have not seen 23
No opinion 2

.

"As you probably know, the results of Tuesday’s presidential election are still unclear. Who do you personally want to see become the next president: [rotate] Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
%
Bush 45
Gore 44
Neither (vol.) 6
Other (vol.) 1
No opinion 4

 

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Nov. 11-12, 2000. N=1,014 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 for the total sample, ± 5 for Gore voters, and ± 6 for Bush voters.

.

"If Al Gore is declared the winner and inaugurated next January, would you accept him as the legitimate president, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Would accept him 82 97 66
Would not 16 1 31
No opinion 2 2 3

.

"If George W. Bush is declared the winner and inaugurated next January, would you accept him as the legitimate president, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Would accept him 79 61 97
Would not 19 36 1
No opinion 2 3 2

.

"Turning now to the situation in Florida: If George W. Bush has the most votes in Florida after the vote recount is finished and overseas ballots are completely counted next week, do you think Al Gore should [rotate] concede the election OR continue to wait for the results of other investigations into voter irregularities in Florida?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Concede 59 32 94
Continue to wait 38 66 5
No opinion 3 2 1

.

"Would you favor or oppose having Florida officials recount the votes in certain counties by hand, as the Gore campaign requested?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Favor 55 85 20
Oppose 42 13 78
No opinion 3 2 2

.

"How concerned are you that this controversy makes the United States look bad in the eyes of other countries: very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not at all concerned?"
%
Very concerned 36
Somewhat concerned 28
Not too concerned 19
Not at all concerned 17

.

"Thinking for a moment about the way in which the president is elected in this country, which would you prefer: [rotate] to amend the Constitution so the candidate who receives the most total votes nationwide wins the election, OR to keep the current system, in which the candidate who wins the most votes in the Electoral College wins the election?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Amend the Constitution 61 77 44
Keep the current system 35 20 49
Both/Neither (vol.) 2 1 4
No opinion 2 2 3

.

"Which comes closer to your point of view? [Rotate] The federal government should pass laws that would establish the same ballots and voting procedures in all states for all presidential elections. OR, Decisions on ballot and voting procedures should be left to state and local officials, as is currently the case."
%
Same for all states 67
Leave to states and localities 29
No opinion 4

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Latest: Nov. 10-12, 2000. N=1,720 adults nationwide who were previously interviewed Nov. 1-6, 2000. MoE ± 2 (total sample).

.

"Presidents are elected by the Electoral College, in which each state gets as many votes as it has members of Congress and can cast all of them for whoever wins in that state. Do you think we should keep the Electoral College, or should we amend the Constitution and elect as president whoever gets the most votes in the whole country?"
2000 1987
% %
Keep Electoral College 31 33
Amend the Constitution 60 61
Don't know 9 6

.

"It is possible in our election system for one presidential candidate to receive the most state ELECTORAL votes, while another candidate receives the most POPULAR votes nationwide. In this case, who do you think has a MORE legitimate claim to the presidency: the electoral vote winner or the popular vote winner, or does neither have a legitimate claim?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Electoral vote winner 39 24 67
Popular vote winner 45 63 21
Neither 10 7 7
Don't know 6 6 5

.

"Do you think that a candidate who wins the Electoral College vote but does NOT win the popular vote can lead the country effectively, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Can lead effectively 72 62 90
Cannot lead effectively 15 24 5
Don't know 13 14 5

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Bush campaign is handling the uncertain outcome of the presidential election?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Approve 46 18 86
Disapprove 40 71 6
Don't know 14 11 8

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Gore campaign is handling the uncertain outcome of the presidential election?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Approve 47 73 22
Disapprove 41 17 70
Don't know 12 10 8

.

"Do you think either of the presidential campaigns is placing politics above the good of the country?" If "Yes": "Which campaign is doing that: the Bush campaign or the Gore campaign?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Yes -- Bush campaign 16 28 2
Yes -- Gore campaign 22 6 47
Yes -- Both equally (vol.) 25 26 21
No, neither 27 33 24
Don't know 10 7 6

.

Asked only of voters: "Given the kinds of problems that have been reported in Florida, how much confidence do you have that YOUR vote was counted properly: a lot, some, not much, or no confidence at all?"
Voters
%
A lot 69
Some 21
Not much 6
No confidence at all 3
Don't know 2

.

"As you may know, all of the major television networks made mistakes on election night in first calling the state of Florida for Al Gore, and later in calling it for George W. Bush. Which statement comes closer to your view? These were serious mistakes and there is no excuse for the networks broadcasting these calls. OR, These were serious mistakes, but it is understandable that these kinds of mistakes happened."
%
No excuse 46
Understandable 52
Don't know 2

.

"When do you think the election will finally be resolved? Will that happen within the next few days, within the next month, or will it take longer than a month to resolve?"
%
Within the next few days 28
Within the next month 44
Longer than a month 19
Don't know 9

.

"Do you think the fact that we do not yet know who the next president will be is a big problem for this country, or do you think that the delay is not really a problem?"
%
Is a big problem 35
Not really a problem 62
Don't know 3

 

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Nov. 10-12, 2000. N=1,113 Nov. 2000 election voters nationwide who were previously interviewed in Sept. 2000 or Oct. 2000. MoE ± 3.

.

"As you may know, the Florida vote for president is still being counted awaiting absentee ballots. If the recount shows that George W. Bush won the state of Florida by a narrow margin giving him a majority in the Electoral College, do you think he will have legitimately won the election, or not?"

If "not legitimately": "Why not? Because Al Gore actually won more of the popular vote, OR because you have doubts about whether the votes were counted fairly and accurately?"

%
Yes, will have won legitimately 68
No -- Doubts about fairness, accuracy 15
No -- Gore won more votes 6
No -- Both (vol.) 5
No -- Don't know why 1
Don't know 5

.

"If the recount shows that George W. Bush won the state of Florida by a narrow margin giving him a majority in the Electoral College, do you think Al Gore should concede the election to George W. Bush or should he contest this in the courts because of voting problems in Florida?"
%
Gore should concede 67
Gore should contest 26
Don't know 7

.

"Has the outcome of this election increased your belief that every vote counts, or has it raised doubts in your mind about the importance of your vote?"
%
Increased belief 74
Raised doubts 23
Don't know 3

.

"As you may know, questions have been raised about the ballot used in Palm Beach, Florida. Many voters say they were confused by it. Do you think the entire county should vote again or not?"
%
Should vote again 36
Should not 59
Don't know 5

.

"As you may know, the outcome of this year's presidential election will be decided by a very narrow margin in Florida and several other states. All things considered, do you think we will have an accurate count of the votes in Florida and other close states, or not?"
%
Will have an accurate count 49
Will not 42
Don't know 9

 

CNN/Time Poll conducted by Yankelovich Partners. Nov. 10, 2000. N=1,154 adults nationwide. MoE ± 2.9 for the total sample, ± 4.7 for Gore voters and for Bush voters.

.

"Suppose after all the recounting is done, George W. Bush becomes president because he won the most votes in the Electoral College, even though more people across the country voted for Al Gore. Would you consider that to be a legitimate outcome, or not?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Yes, legitimate 59 40 83
No, not legitimate 36 55 14
Not sure 5 5 3

.

"If George W. Bush is elected president, do you think he will have been elected by accident, or don't you feel that way?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Yes, elected by accident 29 52 6
No, don't feel that way 65 39 93
Not sure 6 9 1

.

"Would you approve or disapprove of an amendment to the Constitution which would do away with the Electoral College and base the election of a president on the total vote cast throughout the nation?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Approve 63 76 50
Disapprove 29 18 40
Not sure 8 6 10

.

"Regardless of whom you support, who do you think will become the next president of the United States . . . ?"

ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
George W. Bush 69 50 86
Al Gore 19 35 6
Other (vol.) 1 1 -
Not sure 11 14 8

.

"Regardless of the outcome of the vote, who do you think would make a better president . . . ?"

ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Al Gore 44 88 4
George W. Bush 44 3 90
Other (vol.) 3 2 2
Not sure 9 7 4

.

"Thinking about the way the media declared winners in Florida on election night, do you think the media acted responsibly or irresponsibly?"
%
Responsibly 17
Irresponsibly 79
Not sure 4

.

"In announcing election results, do you think the media are more interested in getting results out first, or more interested in getting the results right?"
%
Getting the results out first 87
Getting the results right 10
Not sure 3

.

"Do you think Al Gore would be the next president if Ralph Nader had not run for president?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Yes 52 76 31
No 35 14 55
Not sure 13 10 14

.

"If Al Gore does not become the next president this time, do you think he should run again for president in 2004?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Yes 58 74 38
No 30 15 50
Not sure 12 11 12

 

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Nov. 9-10, 2000. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4 for the total sample, ± 6 for Gore voters and for Bush voters.

.

"Presidents are now elected by the Electoral College, in which each state gets as many votes as it has members of Congress and can cast all of them for whoever wins that state. Do you think we should keep the Electoral College or that we should amend the Constitution and elect whoever gets the most votes in the whole country?"
%
Keep Electoral College 33
Amend the Constitution 57
Don't know 10

.

"As you probably know, the outcome of the presidential election depends on whether George W. Bush or Al Gore is awarded the state of Florida. Right now, which ONE of the following do you think is more important? Getting matters resolved as soon as possible so we know who our next president is. Making certain to remove all reasonable doubt that the vote count has been fair and accurate."
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Resolve as soon as possible 25 13 40
Remove all reasonable doubt 72 86 55
Don't know 3 1 5

.

"Before it became clear that the vote in Florida was as close as we know now, Al Gore had conceded victory to George W. Bush. Do you think Gore did the right thing or the wrong thing in withdrawing his concession until the questions about the vote in Florida are resolved?"
ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Right thing 66 79 54
Wrong thing 22 15 31
Don't know 12 6 15

.

"At what point do you think Bush and Gore should agree to accept the Florida results as final? As soon as the state-mandated recount of the vote is completed. Wait about a week until all the absentee ballots from military personnel and others living abroad can be counted. Wait longer, if necessary, to make sure that legal issues involving vote fraud and other irregularities can be resolved."

ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
When recount is completed 17 11 26
When overseas ballots are counted 44 37 58
When legal issues are resolved 36 51 14
Don't know 3 1 2

.

"From what you've seen or heard about the issue of voters in Palm Beach County misinterpreting their ballot and mistakenly voting for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore, what do you think should happen? Should the entire county be asked to vote again, or should the ballot problem there be seen as the kind of honest mistake that occurs in many elections, not serious enough to require a new vote?"

ALL Gore
Voters
Bush
Voters
% % %
Entire county should vote again 48 77 16
Not serious enough to require a new vote 46 19 80
Don't know 6 4 4

.

"As you may know, the TV networks had to twice retract their calls for who won Florida on election night. Do you think the networks' problems with the Florida vote reflect such serious flaws in their system that they should stop trying to project election outcomes, or was just an isolated incident and there is too much public interest for them to stop making projections?"
%
They should stop projecting outcomes 57
It was just an isolated incident 37
Don't know 6

.

"Do you think the uncertainty about the vote in Florida and the delay in knowing who won the presidency are a sign of weakness in our political system, or are a sign of strength that we are peacefully taking the steps necessary to make sure the right candidate is declared the winner of a very close election?"
%
A sign of weakness 24
A sign of strength 69
Don't know 7

.

"Suppose that George W. Bush is eventually awarded Florida's electoral votes and wins the presidency despite losing the national popular vote by a narrow margin to Al Gore. If Bush were to be elected in this way, do you think it would seriously hurt his ability to be an effective national leader, or not?"
%
Would seriously hurt 25
Would not 69
Don't know 6

.

"Given the closeness of the presidential election and the close partisan division of the House and Senate, do you think the new president and Congress will be able to work together to get things done on issues such as taxes and health care, or that they won't be able to get things done?"
%
They will be able to work together 60
They won't be able to get things done 30
Don't know 10

 

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Nov. 8, 2000. N=505 adults nationwide. MoE +/- 4.5.

.

"Which of the following best describes how you would feel if [see below] were elected president: optimistic and confident that he would do a good job, satisfied and hopeful that he would do a good job, uncertain and wondering whether he would do a good job, or pessimistic and worried that he would do a bad job?"
%
Al Gore
Optimistic and confident 31
Satisfied and hopeful 30
Uncertain and wondering 19
Pessimistic and worried 18
Not sure 2

.

George W. Bush
Optimistic and confident 28
Satisfied and hopeful 24
Uncertain and wondering 24
Pessimistic and worried 22
Not sure 2

.

"As you may know, the outcome of the presidential election has not been decided because no candidate has received a majority of electoral votes. In general, do you feel that there has been a fair and honest national vote count in the presidential election, or do you worry that the vote count has been unfair?"
%
Fair and honest 48
Unfair 44
Not sure 8

.

"As you may know, presidents are chosen not by direct popular vote, but by the electoral college system in which each state receives electoral votes based on its population. Over the past one hundred years, the winning presidential candidate has won both the popular and electoral vote. Let us suppose in this election that one candidate were to win the popular vote and one candidate were to win the electoral vote. Who would you favor serving as the next president of the United States: the one who wins the popular vote or the one who wins the electoral vote?"
%
Popular-vote winner 56
Electoral-vote winner 39
Not sure 5

.

"If the next president were to win the electoral college vote but lose the overall popular vote, do you think that it would or would not affect his ability to govern?"

%
Would 20
Would not 72
Not sure 8

 

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