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Essay / Presidential Election - 1726
In 2004, the election was the “biggest” news of the year. In 2000, the presidential election was marked by unrest and scandals related to punch card voting in Florida and allegations of racial discrimination against minorities in the election. The article "Poll: American Voters Skeptical of Elections" looks back at the horror of the 2000 election and examines where voters, Republicans and Democrats currently stand on the accuracy of our voting methods (in the United States ). The article says six in ten Republicans and respondents believe no clear winner will be determined by November 3, 2004, and seven in ten Democrats think the same. Additionally, half of voters feared the results would be challenged in the Supreme Court. Both political parties, Democrats and Republicans, have filed lawsuits over a variety of complaints, ranging from how provisional ballots are counted to allegations of voter registration fraud. The article says a majority say they are confident their own state's vote count will be accurate, but when Democrats as a group are asked, less than half say they are "very confident." » in their state's vote count. will be accurate, while three-quarters of Republicans believe their state's vote count will be accurate. The article states that during the final days of the campaign, a close eye is being kept on Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and New Mexico, all of which are potential battleground states where a Challenge to a close race could be filed on November 3, 2004. When considering the 2000 election and the Florida disaster, more than half, 54 percent to be exact, felt the vote count was unfair and inaccurate. Democrats mostly say the vote count was unfair and inaccurate, while Republicans mostly say the vote count was fair and accurate. Independents say, by a margin of 2 to 1, that it was not fair. The conclusion drawn from the article is that the political and legal challenges far outweigh any other concerns aimed at disrupting the elections. For millions of Americans, every vote no longer counts. In political debates and elections, the application of schemas, mental structures that people use to organize their knowledge about the social world around themes or topics and that influence the information people notice, think about, and remember. are very important to gaining the support, votes and trust of millions of Americans in democracy and our processes..