2A- The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 9, 2000 NATION/WORLD-- VNS Continued from Page 1A follow suit because they were criti- cized for being slow. Achen said the networks made this call before a single vote was counted. University communications studies Prof. Mike Traugott, who worked with retrieving exit poll information in Michigan for the Detroit radio station WJR, attributed some of the exit poll miscalculation to human errors when entering the Florida data into the sys- tem. Media organizations recalled the win and announced that Florida was too close to call. Then at 2:25 a.m. with 95 percent of the precincts report- ing, the networks blundered again. They announced George W. Bush had won Florida and the presidency. Shortly after Gore had telephoned Bush to concede the election, the net- works recalled the results as official numbers showed an increase for Gore causing the vice president to retract his concession. "This was a ghastly night," Achen said. "The heart of this problem is a 35-year-old computer system" VNS uses to analyze exit polls. "The software is a great achievement for the '60s or '70s," he said, but added that analysts have learned so much about calling elections, including the absentee ballots and correcting for bias- es, "none of which have been used:" VNS officials could not be reached for comment. Traugott said the media will be criti- cized for their part in the miscalcula- tion of the election and said that "the Republicans, in particular" are going to use this "to further erode public per- ception of the media." But Traugott also said because of First Amendment rights, he doubts there will be legal action against the media. The Florida Secretary of State's office said that the results will be in by 5 p.m. today but if absentee ballots alter the results then election officials will wait until Nov. 17 - the deadline to receive absentee ballots - to announce the winner. "The absentees are almost surely going to go Republican," Achen said, based on historic data in Florida. But he added that nothing is absolute. "'We've never seen it,' is not the same as, 'it didn't happen this year."' Traugott cited some evidence find- ing that many of the absentee ballots are from overseas military personnel which tend to vote more Republican. But recent evidence suggests that some military personnel are minorities from working class families who may sway toward Gore. According to Florida State Election law, when the margin of votes is less than half of 1 percent, there is an auto- matic recount. Florida election officials are current- ly recounting the votes. Achen said that in 1996 there was a similar scenario in which a New Hampshire race was called early and was eventually recalled. Achen said that he had asked the network not to call that race and they did anyway. Achen said Florida looked exactly like New Hampshire did in the 1996 race. In 1948, The Chicago Daily Tribune ran a headline, saying "Dewey defeats Truman," when in fact President Harry Truman won the election. Last night major metropolitan news- papers were caught with the same dilemma printed stories stating that Bush had won the election and having to pull copies off the shelves to print updated editions. ACROSS THE NATICA max....,.,, o fU gMONDAYS j FOOTBALL PARTY TUESDA YS 2 FOR 1 DV WEDNESDAY AMATEUR CONTEST & WAITRESS } REVIEW THURSDAYS SHOWGIRL 3 enANTRST FRIDVAYS t FRISKY DFRILLY DA SATURDAYS NIGHT -.:...,..:.SUNDAYS f. SHOWGIRL } SUNDA4 & > YOUR SIRTH AY & 84ACHEGOR °' '°' °PARTYP4CE - -- --i Vermont's gay union law affects voters MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Vermont's new civil unions law for gay couples frac tured Vermont's electorate, with voters re-electing the Democratic governor bu handing the state House over to the GOP Gov. Howard Dean, who earlier this year signed the law granting gay couple most of the rights and privileges of marriage, was re-elected to his fifth term Tue day with just over 50 percent. The Democrats also retained control of the Senate. But opponents of the law took some of their frustrations out by ousting more t a dozen lawmakers who voted in favor of it. Combined with the retirements of number of veteran Democrats, the losses shifted control of the House back to th Republicans for the first time in 14 years. Dean's Republican opponent, Ruth Dwyer, a strong critic of civil unions, wa held to just 38 percent of the vote. Progressive Anthony Pollina, who supports civi unions, took 10 percent. The combined Dean-Pollina vote buoyed supporters of civil unions. "To me, it's clear, just looking at the fact that 60 percent of Vermonters voted fo gubernatorial candidates that supported civil unions, a strong majority of Vermon ters are ready to move on, to put the sloganeering aside, stop talking about takini Vermont back or forward or taking it anywhere, and sit down as one commufl and put our minds to solving some of the real problems that we confront," said Be Robinson, a leader of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force. W ashington waits gested Gorton was increasingly out o step with the electorate. on final Senate race Gorton, scion of a New Englan fish-sticks family, retorted that ht SEATTLE - Republican Sen. was the candidate with new idea Slade Gorton held a shaky lead yes- and that the S7 million he spen terday against dot-con millionaire came from 22,000 donors, not o Maria Cantwell in the nation's last millionaire's checkbook. unresolved Senate race. Of more than 1.6 million votes W orlds m le counted, Gorton, an 18-year Senate S smaiiest veteran, led by about 3,200 votespa e k ri baby with hundreds of thousands of 1 absentee ballots still to be counted. PORTLAND, Ore. - A prematur The race could remain unsettled baby with a heart defect was fitted witi for days, what doctors say is the world's smalles Cantwell, 42, predicted victory pacemaker after the U.S. Food an based on absentee ballots, saying Drug Administration granted doctor: most of the uncounted votes are in an exemption to use the experimen King County and other large coun- device. ties where she ran strongest. "The device has been proven to wor Gorton, 72, said he expects to pull so far in trials and this baby could havt out a victory, too. had dire complications without it, so wt "W hen it's all done, I'm con- appealed to the FDA to let us use it,' vinced I'll be in Washington, D.C.," Dr. Seshadri Balaji. a pediatric cardiol he said. ogist, said Tuesday. Cantwell, a senior vice president of The new heart-regulating device the Internet audio-video software com- called a "Microny is about a third thL pany Realnetworks, plowed S10 million size of a traditional pacemaker and i of her fortune into a campaign that sug- undergoing FDA clinical trials. ARONDTHE WORLD Fighting continues Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Ba estBanikGazwas to meet with Clinton on Sunday. In W est Bank, Gaza Barak said on Israeli television tha he will not ask for resumption o JERUSALEM - Violence flared peace negotiations. "I go to Washi in the West Bank and Gaza Strip ton to ensure that the end of viole yesterday even as Palestinian leader that was agreed on at Sharm el-Sheil Yasser Arafat headed for Washing- is carried out if that is possible. That i ton to consult with President Clin- all," he said, referring to a truce medi ton. Palestinian gunmen killed a ated last month by Clinton in Egypt. customs worker on her way to work, and four Palestinians were shot dead in clashes. Chinese smugglers The Palestinian leader flew to Cairo get death sentence to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak - the main sponsor, SHANGHAI, China - Splash with Clinton, of the peace process - pictures of ill-gotten gains across tiu and then to Britain for a meeting with main evening news broadcast, Chin Prime Minister Tony Blair. announced death sentences yesterda Arafat, who spoke with Blair dur- for 11 people, among them police an ing a three-hour London stop, "under- government officials, in the nation'i lined the important role which Britain largest corruption scandal, and the European Union could play in In all, 84 people were convicted o support of the peace process," a Blair involvement in a multibillion-dolla spokesman said. No further details smuggling ring that doled out hug were known. bribes to officials whose influenc The Palestinian leader was due in touched the apex of power. Washington by nightfall, and is sched- uled to meet with Clinton today. - Comlpiledion Daily wire repo.rs JJ k RECPv KIDS' cKovvNcU OUPW1 L~~T/fOv AREAS H^vE EVEPK HEAPD of' A& rAP ioYCul..^f RAY CHNN STARTED OEiN INI NmER-CirY LoS ,ANGCIjGg. (NJ ONGJ Y EA, HE COACHED Zo of Hig Z g STU D ENSTr To SC0 IE A 3 0 2 a. 49 r r : Mrj E TE 0N THE Ex~rv. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term. starting in September. via US. mail are $100. Winter term (January through April) is $105. yearlong (September through April; is $180. On-campus subscriptions f"r fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press. 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