8 p.m. - Polls close in the Florida Panhandle, following media projections, later retracted, that Democrat Al Gore had won the state. About 3 a.m. EST - Gore in Nashville, Tenn., calls Republican George W. Bush in Austin, Texas, to concede after TV networks project Bush as the winner of Florida and the election.
Networks soon reclassify Florida as undecided.
Statewide mechanical recount begins, trimming Bush's lead to less than 400 votes by the end of the day, from a starting point of 1,784. Several Palm Beach County voters file suits seeking another vote after officials say some 19,100 ballots were not counted because they were improperly marked. Hand recounts in four counties are requested by the Gore campaign. Palm Beach election officials begin a hand recount in three precincts and, at Bush's request, do a third mechanical recount. In Duval County, election officials say about 26,000 ballots were disqualified because they were marked for more than one presidential candidate or none.