Back to the Future

Why the 2020 Election Feels Familiar

Election 2020 isn’t the only election in our history that needs examination

This story is a part of our Back to the Future series on how key moments in the year 2000 influenced similar events in 2020.

Twenty years ago, America experienced one of the most contentious elections of the modern era. For over a month in the year 2000, we didn’t know the final outcome of our presidential election, and the courts had to step in to decide the winner of what was essentially a tie. It was the first election since 1888 where a significant difference between the popular and electoral votes led to widespread ballot recounts, legal maneuverings, and Supreme Court intervention that dragged on for over a month.

In essence, the election of 2000 saw sitting Vice President Al Gore leading over Texas Gov. George W. Bush by around 500,000 popular votes. But Bush led Gore in the Electoral College by only four votes. The decision ultimately came down to one state: Florida, where Bush’s brother Jeb was governor.

As the vote recount went on, the political vitriol — and incredible amounts of analysis — centered on how individual votes were counted at the ballot box and if they counted at all. Pundits at the time also discussed…