The National Spotlight Heated Up in Florida By Laureen Ricks Several weeks ago voters went to the polls to cast their ballots for their presidential candidate. Yet a question as to who the first president of the 21st century should be still remains. Here in Florida, where much of the controversy took place, political battles over confusing ballots, dimpled ballots, overseas ballots and hand recounts made this a long as well as divisive Presidential election.

As the national spotlight heated up in Florida, some residents actively participated in the election and media circus. Most Florida citizens, while having firm opinions, quietly waited for it all to be over. At the University of Florida, college students expressed a variety of views on the 2000 presidential election. I think it's really cool. I think it is hugely historical. It's something we will be reading about in 100 years," senior Andrew Marra said. A journalism major and an Al Gore supporter, Marra felt that one of the benefits of this election is that it is a catalyst for reform. "I think this election has put a spotlight on the voting process. I feel it's receiving the attention that it deserves," she said.

First year student Ana Valeska-Guthrie echoed Marra’s sentiments. However, she felt that the overdrawn election caused division. An independent voter who supported Gore, she favored abolishing the whole recount. "We should go with the president who won even though he got his position by mistake," she said. "The next time around, we should get it right because this time we got it wrong." Still, she thought Gore should have won because he had the popular vote. "Obviously, more people wanted him (Gore) in office," Valeska-Guthrie said.

Freshman Elizabeth Warnick also felt the handcounts should be stopped. "We created the machines to eliminate human error. If one person makes a mistake for every 1000 they count, that's a huge gap. It could cause Gore to win," Warnick said. Describing herself as an independent, Warnick had mixed views about which candidate to support. "I want Bush to win because I agree with his policies more that Gore's, but I feel that Gore is a better leader and has more experience and would be more hardworking," Warnick said. She believed that the machines used in counting the ballots clearly showed Bush as the winner and, therefore, he should be the winner of the election. "I feel Bush should win. We have been relying on these machines for a long time. We shouldn't stop relying on them just because the outcome wasn't what a candidate wanted," Warnick said.

Both freshman, Anesha Johnson and sophomore Keisa Gardener, shared ambivalent feelings concerning the presidential election and the hand recount. "I agree with the recount to a certain extent because every vote should count, but when they recount it and recount it and it still comes down to same person, then he should win," Gardener said. Neither Gardener or Johnson had any loyalty toward any of the candidates. "I honestly didn't think any one of them were qualified," said Johnson, who counts herself as a Democrat. She also felt that George W. Bush, the declared winner, will have no credibility in office. "The whole thing is iffy because its all split up. Whoever is going to be elected President, half the nation will be ticked off. The country is pretty much divided. Half the people are for Gore. Half the people are for Bush. Florida itself is divided," Johnson said.

For Marra, Warnick, and Valeska-Guthrie, this election has made them realize how much their votes count. Valeska-Guthrie also gained a more insight into the game of politics. "I see even more now that candidates are desperate for votes and they are kind of fanatic and it is sort of making me apathetic," she said. Gardener expressed a similar sentiment: "They'll push to anything just to see themselves win," she said.

Marra pointed out another positive that has come from the election controversy. "We take for granted in America that there will be a peaceful transition of power, which rarely happens in some other countries," she said. "The fact that the transition of power is being called into question now reminds us how much we take for granted the peaceful transition we have been accustomed to.

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