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White House 2000: Post-Election Polls
The Long Count See also: Post-election polls from November | Election 2000 HQ

Polls listed chronologically.

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The Harris Poll. Dec. 14-21, 2000. N=1,025 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (total sample).

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ALL Bush
Voters		 Gore
Voters
% % %
"If everyone who tried to vote in Florida had their votes counted for the candidate who they thought they were voting for -- with no misleading ballots and infallible voting machines -- who do you think would have won the election, George W. Bush or Al Gore?"
Bush 40 76 5
Gore 49 11 89
Not sure/Refused 11 12 6

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"Do you feel that the whole process of deciding who won in Florida -- including the re-counts, or lack of re-counts, and the decisions made by the Secretary of State, the legislators, and the courts -- has been generally fair or unfair?"
Fair 46 77 17
Unfair 48 16 80
Not sure/Refused 7 7 3

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"Thinking of the decisions made by the courts concerning the Florida election, do you believe that the decisions made by individual judges in Florida mainly reflect the political views of the judges or mainly reflect their impartial legal judgments?"
Political views 48
Impartial legal judgments 41
Not sure/Refused 11

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"Thinking of the decisions made by the courts concerning the Florida election, do you believe that the decisions made by individual judges in the Supreme Court mainly reflect the political views of the judges or mainly reflect their impartial legal judgments?"
Political views 41
Impartial legal judgments 48
Not sure/Refused 10

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"Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? At the end of the day, in spite of all the problems casting and counting the votes, the system worked."
Agree 50 80 24
Disagree 46 18 72
Not sure/Refused 4 2 4

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"Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? We clearly have a major problem in the way votes are cast and counted and this needs to be fixed."
Agree 86
Disagree 12
Not sure/Refused 2

 

CBS News Poll. Dec. 14-16, 2000. N=1,048 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (total sample).

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ALL Gore
Voters		 Bush
Voters
% % %
"In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome of the election?"
Satisfied 50 9 93
Dissatisfied 45 89 6
Don't know 5 2 1

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"Would you say George W. Bush legitimately won the election, or not?"
Legitimately won 53 11 92
Did not 40 81 3
Don't know 7 8 5

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"How much confidence do you yourself have in the United States Supreme Court: a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?"
A great deal 24 13 43
Quite a lot 22 19 31
Some 33 36 22
Very little 18 30 4
Don't know 3 2 0

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"As you may know, on Tuesday the United States Supreme Court ruled in George W. Bush’s favor, and stopped the manual recounting of votes in Florida that had been ordered by the Florida Supreme Court. Do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that stopped the manual recount?"
Approve 54 16 95
Disapprove 42 80 4
Don't know 2 4 1

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"Do you think the Supreme Court’s decision was based more on partisan politics, or more on an objective interpretation of the law?"
Partisan politics 37 65 10
Objective interpretation 54 29 84
Both (vol.) 1 1 2
Neither (vol.) 1 0 1
Don't know 7 5 3

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"As of now, which candidate has received more votes in the whole country and is leading in the popular vote: George W. Bush or Al Gore?"
Bush 19 8 21
Gore 71 90 69
Don't know 10 2 11

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"Regardless of what the current vote total is , who do you think more Florida voters INTENDED to vote for: Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
Gore 46 83 13
Bush 34 7 59
Don't know 20 10 28

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"In a written opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court case that ended the election, one of the Supreme Court justices wrote: ‘We may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election.’ Do you agree or disagree with the justice’s statement?"
Agree 67 89 48
Disagree 30 11 51
Don't know 3 0 1

 

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Dec. 14-15, 2000. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4 for the total sample, ± 5 for Bush supporters and for Gore supporters.

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ALL Bush
Sup-
porters		 Gore
Sup-
porters
% % %
"This week, by margin of 5 to 4, the United States Supreme Court reversed the Florida courts' decision and stopped hand recounts of presidential ballots in Florida. All in all, do you think the Supreme Court's decision to stop hand recounts in Florida was fair or unfair?"
Fair 51 88 19
Unfair 44 9 78
Don't know 5 3 3

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"What role, if any, do you think politics or partisanship played in the Supreme Court justices' decision? Do you think politics or partisanship played a major role in their decision, somewhat of a role, or no role at all?"
Major role 33 13 52
Somewhat of a role 32 35 29
No role at all 29 45 14
Don't know 6 7 5

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"What role, if any, do you think politics or partisanship played in decisions by THE FLORIDA STATE COURTS in this election dispute? Do you think politics or partisanship played a major role in the state courts' decisions, somewhat of a role, or no role at all?"
Major role 45 38 54
Somewhat of a role 36 38 32
No role at all 14 19 10
Don't know 5 5 4

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"Thinking more broadly about the role that politics or partisanship plays in court decisions around this country, IN GENERAL, do you think it plays a major role, somewhat of a role, or no role at all?"
Major role 35 24 46
Somewhat of a role 47 51 42
No role at all 13 19 8
Don't know 5 6 4

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"Has this week's Supreme Court's decision made you more likely to suspect that U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICES have a partisan bias?"
Yes 46 19 72
No 48 76 22
Don't know 6 5 6

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"Has this week's Supreme Court's decision made you more likely to suspect that JUDGES IN GENERAL have a partisan bias?"
Yes 46 25 65
No 50 71 31
Don't know 4 4 4

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"Do you think that Gore's lawyers could have made a stronger case than they did before the Supreme Court for why hand recounts in Florida should go forward OR that Gore's lawyers did about as well as could be expected under the circumstances?"
Could have made stronger case 18 9 27
Did about as well as could be expected 76 86 67
Don't know 6 5 6

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"Thinking more broadly about the Gore team's legal efforts in the Florida dispute: Do you think they made a serious mistake in not seeking a statewide hand recount sooner -- OR that this didn't have much effect on their chances of success in the courts?"
Made a serious mistake 45 34 57
This didn't have much effect 47 59 36
Don't know 8 7 7

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"Do you think the Gore team made a serious mistake in conceding that December 12th was a hard deadline for resolving the Florida election dispute -- OR that this didn't have much effect on their chances of success in the courts?"
Made a serious mistake 27 18 38
This didn't have much effect 64 73 53
Don't know 9 9 9

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"Suppose that, in the near future, a hand recount of disputed Florida ballots by the news media finds that Al Gore actually won the state's popular vote. Do you think this would SERIOUSLY hurt George W. Bush's ability to be an effective national leader, or not?"
Would seriously hurt 37
Would not 58
Don't know 5

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"Will you consider Bush to be a legitimate president, or not?"
Yes, legitimate 68 97 40
No, not legitimate 29 2 56
Don't know 3 1 4

 

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Latest: Dec. 14, 2000. N=603 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4. Field work by TNS Intersearch.

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"As you may know, the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a recount in the presidential election in Florida and said it was too late for a new recount. The ruling means George W. Bush wins the election and the presidency. Al Gore conceded on Wednesday night. Do you approve or disapprove of Gore's decision to concede the presidential race to Bush?"
%
Approve 73
Disapprove 26
No opinion 2

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"From what you've heard or read about it, do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision rejecting the recount in Florida?"
%
Approve 50
Disapprove 47
No opinion 3

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"As a result of this ruling, do you have a higher opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court, a lower opinion, or hasn't your opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court changed?"
%
Higher opinion 10
Lower opinion 29
No change 59
No opinion 2

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"Do you think the majority in the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled in Bush's favor did so mainly on the law and evidence in the case, or mainly because it wanted to help Bush become president?"
%
Mainly on law and evidence 60
Mainly to help Bush 35
No opinion 6

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"What about the minority in the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled in Gore's favor? Do you think it did so mainly on the law and evidence in the case, or mainly because it wanted to help Gore become president?"
%
Mainly on law and evidence 61
Mainly to help Gore 29
No opinion 10

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"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?"
12/14 12/10 12/3 11/12
% % % %
Serious problems in system 55 49 43 32
Kind of thing that can happen 44 50 54 65
No opinion 2 2 3 3

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"Which comes closest to describing the way you feel about the outcome of this election: enthusiastic; satisfied but not enthusiastic; dissatisfied but not angry, or angry?"
%
Enthusiastic 14
Satisfied but not enthusiastic 36
Dissatisfied but not angry 37
Angry 12
No opinion 1

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"Who did you personally want to become the next president: [rotate] Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
%
Gore 46
Bush 41
Neither (vol.) 9
Other (vol.) 3
No opinion 1

 

Reuters/NBC News/Zogby survey. Dec. 13, 2000. N=521 likely voters nationwide who voted Nov. 7, 2000. MoE ± 4.5.

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"Do you believe the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in the best interests of the nation, or do you believe the ruling reveals the personal political interests of the justices?"
%
Best interests of nation 48
Personal political interests 43
Not sure 9

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"Do you feel that the Supreme Court has maintained an objective balance or has it become too political?"
%
Objective balance 43
Too political 48
Not sure 9

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"Do you have confidence in the U.S. election system, or have the events of the past month seriously shaken your confidence?"
%
Have confidence 48
Confidence shaken 48
Not sure 3

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"Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree that all the votes cast in Florida were fairly counted?"
%
Strongly agree 27
Somewhat agree 14
Somewhat disagree 14
Strongly disagree 44
Not sure 1

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"In your opinion, do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree that President-elect Bush will be able to govern effectively?"
%
Strongly agree 36
Somewhat agree 26
Somewhat disagree 13
Strongly disagree 19
Not sure 5

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"If you define legitimacy as the will of the people, do you consider a George W. Bush presidency legitimate or not legitimate?"
%
Legitimate 59
Not legitimate 37
Not sure 5

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"Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree that George W. Bush will be a strong and capable president?"
%
Strongly agree 38
Somewhat agree 20
Somewhat disagree 18
Strongly disagree 18
Not sure 6

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"Do you have confidence or no confidence in Bush to look after the foreign and security interests of the United States and be able to handle foreign crises?"
%
Confidence 66
No confidence 30
Not sure 5

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"Do you have confidence or no confidence in Bush to tackle the economic challenges facing the nation and preserve the prosperity?"
%
Confidence 57
No confidence 36
Not sure 7

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"Given that the results are so close, please tell me which one of these two statements, A or B, comes closer to your point of view. Statement A: The country will be able to unite behind George W. Bush, who will be able to accomplish a lot in the next four years. Statement B: The country will remain divided, and it will be hard for George W. Bush to accomplish a lot over the next four years."
%
A. The country will be able to unite 46
B. The country will remain divided 50
Not sure 4

 

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Dec. 13, 2000. N=633 adults nationwide (MoE ± 4), including 302 who said they would vote for Gore if the election were today (MoE ± 6), and 278 who said they would vote for Bush if the election were today (MoE ± 6).

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ALL Gore
"Voters"		 Bush
"Voters"
% % %
"As you may know, the U.S. Supreme Court reached a decision last night which effectively ended the vote recount in Florida, meaning that George W. Bush will be the next president. Do you agree or disagree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision?"
Agree 52 13 93
Disagree 42 81 4
No opinion 6 6 3

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"Do you think the U.S. Supreme Court was fair or unfair in deciding this case?"
Fair 54 17 94
Unfair 38 74 4
Depends (vol.) 1 2 -
No opinion 7 8 2

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"Do you think the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court who voted to end the recount in Florida did so [rotate] mostly based on the legal merits of the case OR mostly based on their own desire to have Bush as the next president?"
Merits of the case 54 22 87
Desire to have Bush 35 65 6
Both/Neither (vol.) 3 3 2
No opinion 8 10 5

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"Does this decision make you lose confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court, or does it not have an effect on your view of the Court?"
Lose confidence 30 54 5
Does not have effect 66 39 93
No opinion 4 7 2

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"Which of the following best describes your feelings about the fact that George W. Bush will be the next president: [rotate] thrilled, pleased, disappointed, or angry?"
Thrilled 15 0 33
Pleased 33 9 63
Disappointed 34 66 1
Angry 11 22 -
No opinion 7 3 3

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"If George W. Bush is declared the winner and is inaugurated next January, would you accept him as the legitimate president, or not?"
Yes 80 61 99
No 18 36 1
No opinion 2 3 -

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"Finally, if the election for president were being held today, who would you vote for: [rotate] Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
%
Gore 47
Bush 44
Other (vol.) 5
No opinion 4

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Latest: Dec. 10, 2000. N=605 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4. Field work by TNS Intersearch.

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"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 50 47 4
The Gore campaign 34 63 3

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"On Friday, the Florida State Supreme Court ordered a hand recount there of ballots for which voting machines did not register a vote for president. Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court halted the recount and said it will hear the case tomorrow. Do you think [rotate] the hand recount ordered by the Florida State Supreme Court should have been allowed to continue until it was completed, OR do you think the United States Supreme Court was right to stop the recount?"
%
Hand recount should have continued 51
Court was right to stop the recount 48
No opinion 2

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"After it hears the case tomorrow, do you think the U.S. Supreme Court should or should not allow the hand recount to go forward? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?"
%
Allow -- strongly 44
Allow -- somewhat 9
Not allow -- somewhat 4
Not allow -- strongly 38
No opinion 4

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"How confident are you that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in this case will be fair to both sides: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all?"
%
Very confident 30
Somewhat confident 36
Not too confident 17
Not confident at all 15
No opinion 2

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Asked of those who did NOT answer "Very confident" above:
"Which side do you think the Supreme Court may treat unfairly?"
%
Bush 18
Gore 43
Both 5
Neither 20