Remembering 2001

American elections are complex but what many people do not know is that they do not end until the beginning of January.

In November the people vote. Then once they have had their say, and recounts and disputes have been settled in December the Electoral College meets in each of the states to cast their vote. These are individuals chosen to cast a vote for the winning candidate. Depending on how populous a state is it will have more or less electors.

Finally when the congress opens in January there is a joint session of both Senate and House to count these votes, presided over by the Vice President.

This is normally a formality. But on one occasion on Saturday January 6th 2001 there was actually an attempt by members of the Black Caucus to halt the process and to cause a vote in congress or a debate on the disputed result in Florida that handed the election to George W. Bush. In each case for the motion to stand in needed at least one senator to sign on to it. None Had signed on.

Over the course of the counting there were several attempts by Democrats, many of them from the state of Florida, to halt the process. They argued passionately that votes were not being counted in Florida, that most of these votes were from predominately black areas that it was black people who were being disenfranchised.

Each time they objected they were Al Gore as chair of the session ruled them out of order. Some of those objectors pleaded with Vice President Gore not to let the Florida vote stand, some even addressed him as Mr President. Half way through Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. of Illinois asked for a final time if just one Senator could be found to sign these motions in the middle of the debate could they stand. This was answered in the affirmative and but no senator came forward. So with that the the Objectors all walked out in protest, the count continued and George W. Bush was declared the winner.

The members of the Black Caucus naturally felt they had failed.

Today Congress met again, today they counted the votes once more, and Dick Cheney declared the winner.

Eventually it seems wrongs will be righted.