2000 recount still on the minds of Kerry supporters

KEN THOMAS
Associated Press
Mar. 08, 2004

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - The 2000 recount may be history for some voters, but for Nancy Geneivive the 36-day struggle still brings to mind two words: stolen election.

So when the Coral Springs artist tossed presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry a question Monday about his plans to challenge President Bush, she summed it up this way, "What can we do to prevent him from stealing the election again?"

Kerry encountered Floridians still sore about the disputed election at a town hall meeting with about 500 supporters in Broward County, a Democratic bastion with serious voting irregularities in 2000. Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore by 537 votes in Florida after the U.S. Supreme Court stopped a state recount.

Kerry said he would assemble a legal team to guard against any irregularities in Florida this fall, focusing on problematic precincts and seeking injunctions where necessary to guarantee voting rights.

"I guarantee, not only do we want a record level of turnout to vote, we want to guarantee that every vote is counted," he said to cheers. "I don't think we ought to have any vote cast in America that cannot be traced and properly recounted."

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