Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election
Encyclopedia
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election is a 2002 47-minute documentary made by Richard Ray Pérez
and Joan Sekler and narrated by Peter Coyote
about the contested 2000 presidential election in Florida. It was re-released two years later in an extended 57-minute 2004 Campaign Edition presented by Danny Glover
to tie in with the 2004 US Presidential Election.
and leftist supporters, campaign workers, and citizens were interviewed regarding the possible exclusion of many valid ballots. According to the film, Secretary of the State of Florida Katherine Harris
and her associates used a wide ranging data collection system to prevent ineligible voters (such as ex-con
s) from casting a ballot; the controversy stems from the claims that the data system excluded many people who were eligible to vote. The film offers evidence that many people who share a name and nothing else with an ex-con in a state were denied their right to vote. The cases of mistaken identity were not discovered until citizens reached the polls, when it was too late to prove their identity and correct the mistake.
The film then attempts to draw connections among Governor Jeb Bush
, Katherine Harris
, and the Republican Party
(both national and state parties), to make the case that they conspired ahead of the election to deny African Americans their right to vote, by exploiting the flawed data system that excludes ex-cons and ineligible voters. Reasoning that African Americans typically vote heavily in favor of Democratic candidates, the Republicans worked to exclude these votes to capture the state's electoral votes, the film argues. Another area of contention brought up by the film is that recounts were only taken in certain counties, not statewide; again, this is suggested to be a Republican tactic due to the evidence presented by the film which claims that the recounts in those counties were vastly different from the original count.
and an epilogue spent analyzing the drawbacks of the new computer ballot system, which does not leave any paper trail with which to enact a manual hand recount should the need arise. The film claims that the computer systems also had errors, but there was no way to know how many due to the lack of a paper trail.
The computer ballot example used is the Georgia
Governor's race between incumbent Roy Barnes
and challenger, and victor, Sonny Perdue
in 2002. Because Governor Perdue is the first Republican governor elected in Georgia since Reconstruction
, the film strongly suggests that hackers and key personnel with access to the computer balloting system may have been able to influence the outcome of the election, propelling Perdue to the governor's mansion. The film does not mention the wide array of political issues which had made Governor Barnes very unpopular in the state before the election, specifically his drastic reductions in education spending and overall budgetary difficulties of the state.
as somber films, which use experts and eyewitnesses to less rousing effect than Michael Moore
. He concludes that, From the muddle comes a coda warning that electronic voting machines, to be used next month in some states, will have no paper trail, no possibility of audit and even less evidence for polemicists like Mr. Greenwald who want to make sense — or political hay — of the aftermath.
Richard Ray Perez
Richard Ray Perez is an American documentary film producer and director. His productions include Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election, which is an acclaimed award-winning political documentary...
and Joan Sekler and narrated by Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
about the contested 2000 presidential election in Florida. It was re-released two years later in an extended 57-minute 2004 Campaign Edition presented by Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
to tie in with the 2004 US Presidential Election.
Plot
The film chronicles the 2000 US Presidential Election aftermath, centering on the contested ballots of the state of Florida. Many DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and leftist supporters, campaign workers, and citizens were interviewed regarding the possible exclusion of many valid ballots. According to the film, Secretary of the State of Florida Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris is an American Republican politician, former Secretary of State of Florida, and former member of the United States House of Representatives. Harris won the 2002 election to represent Florida's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She held that post...
and her associates used a wide ranging data collection system to prevent ineligible voters (such as ex-con
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
s) from casting a ballot; the controversy stems from the claims that the data system excluded many people who were eligible to vote. The film offers evidence that many people who share a name and nothing else with an ex-con in a state were denied their right to vote. The cases of mistaken identity were not discovered until citizens reached the polls, when it was too late to prove their identity and correct the mistake.
The film then attempts to draw connections among Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
, Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris is an American Republican politician, former Secretary of State of Florida, and former member of the United States House of Representatives. Harris won the 2002 election to represent Florida's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She held that post...
, and the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(both national and state parties), to make the case that they conspired ahead of the election to deny African Americans their right to vote, by exploiting the flawed data system that excludes ex-cons and ineligible voters. Reasoning that African Americans typically vote heavily in favor of Democratic candidates, the Republicans worked to exclude these votes to capture the state's electoral votes, the film argues. Another area of contention brought up by the film is that recounts were only taken in certain counties, not statewide; again, this is suggested to be a Republican tactic due to the evidence presented by the film which claims that the recounts in those counties were vastly different from the original count.
Participants
- Danny GloverDanny GloverDanny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
– presenter (2004 Campaign Edition) - Peter CoyotePeter CoyotePeter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
– narrator - Vincent BugliosiVincent BugliosiVincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. His most recent books are Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy , The Prosecution of George W...
– author, The Betrayal of AmericaThe Betrayal of AmericaThe Betrayal of America is a book by Vincent Bugliosi which is largely based on an article he wrote for The Nation entitled "None Dare Call It Treason," which argues that the U.S. Supreme Court's December 12, 2000 5‑4 decision in Bush v. Gore unlawfully handed the 2000 U.S. presidential election... - Alan DershowitzAlan DershowitzAlan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history...
– author, Supreme InjusticeSupreme InjusticeSupreme Injustice: How the High Court Hijacked Election 2000 is a book by Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz criticized as partisan the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 majority decision in Bush v... - Frances Fox PivenFrances Fox PivenFrances Fox Piven is an American professor of political science and sociology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, where she has taught since 1982.-Life and education:...
– author, Why Americans Don't Vote
Alternate versions
The 2004 extended 57-minute 2004 Campaign Edition was released to tie in with the 2004 US Presidential Election. This edition of the film features a filmed introduction from Danny GloverDanny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
and an epilogue spent analyzing the drawbacks of the new computer ballot system, which does not leave any paper trail with which to enact a manual hand recount should the need arise. The film claims that the computer systems also had errors, but there was no way to know how many due to the lack of a paper trail.
The computer ballot example used is the Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
Governor's race between incumbent Roy Barnes
Roy Barnes
Roy Eugene Barnes served as the 80th Governor of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. Barnes was also a candidate for Governor of Georgia in the 2010 election....
and challenger, and victor, Sonny Perdue
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....
in 2002. Because Governor Perdue is the first Republican governor elected in Georgia since Reconstruction
Reconstruction
In the history of the United States, the term "Reconstruction Era" has two senses: the first covers the entire nation in the period 1865–1877 following the Civil War; the second one, used in this article, covers the transformation of the Southern United States from 1863 to 1877, with the...
, the film strongly suggests that hackers and key personnel with access to the computer balloting system may have been able to influence the outcome of the election, propelling Perdue to the governor's mansion. The film does not mention the wide array of political issues which had made Governor Barnes very unpopular in the state before the election, specifically his drastic reductions in education spending and overall budgetary difficulties of the state.
Reviews
Ned Martel, writing in the New York Times, describes it and its companion piece Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil LibertiesUnconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties
Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties is a 2004 political documentary written, produced and directed by Nonny de la Peña and sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, which focuses on what the filmmaker contends is widespread abuse of civil liberties carried out in the wake of the...
as somber films, which use experts and eyewitnesses to less rousing effect than Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
. He concludes that, From the muddle comes a coda warning that electronic voting machines, to be used next month in some states, will have no paper trail, no possibility of audit and even less evidence for polemicists like Mr. Greenwald who want to make sense — or political hay — of the aftermath.