This year virtually the same number of Americans voted for the Democrat as for the Republican, with Vice President Al Gore receiving just slightly more votes than Governor George W. Bush. Bush received more votes than President Clinton in either of his elections. But still nobody knows who won and it will take a while to compile the final numbers in Florida, the state that will put one of the candidates over the magic 270 number in the Electoral College.
Most voters see election outcomes on the networks, watching coverage on election night.
They are covered like horse races in progress, with each station striving to be first to call the winner. Their experts and color-coded charts look and sound scientific, precise and professional. Actually, in elections, everything happens before the polls close. From each election district or precinct, the exit poll vote totals are funneled into news services like Associated Press, in no particular order, and are tallied on the TV screen. Then by agreement some time after the polls close, and before much actual data, if any, has arrived at the station, the winner is called.