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. After getting word that Bush's lead in Florida was shrinking, Gore calls Bush again to take back his concession.
Networks soon reclassify Florida as undecided.
Statewide mechanical recount begins, trimming Bush's lead from 1,784 votes to fewer than 400 by the end of the day. Several Palm Beach County voters file suits seeking another vote after officials say 19,100 ballots were not counted because they were improperly marked. 9 Recount proceeds, with Bush's lead sinking to 327 votes. Hand recounts in four counties are requested by the Gore campaign. Gore's lawyers ask Katherine Harris, the state's Republican secretary of state, to defer certification of the results until manual recounts are complete.