The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 08, 2000, Image 1
_Vol. 94, No. 31 We clues clay November 8, 2000
Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08
w.!; \ ,\s i v r. i: u UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA Coi.imbia, S.C.
• %
1 BUSH WIN PROJECTED,
LOTTERY PASSES
m
<nr Brandon Larrabee,
Kristin Von
Karowsky and Eugene
Rodillo
The Gamecock
South Carolinians decisively ap
proved a state-run lottery in one of
the state’s most emotional and hard
fought battles — a battle that over
shadowed the fight for control of the
stale’s legislature and became the cen
tral focus in a state where the results of
the presidential race were all but cer
tain.
With 94 percent of precincts re
porting, the proposal was winning by a
54-46 margin.
The mood at the Education Lottery
Coalition celebration was jubilant.
“We have a lottery, ladies and gen
tlemen,” state Democratic Party Chair
man Dick Harpootlian said to explosive
applause. Audience members, sporting
neon yellow “Lotteiy=Education” stick
ers, shouted and Hashed “thumbs-up”
signs alter Harpootlian’s announcement.
One supporter sporting a straw hat start
ed to dance after hearing the news.
“Bush took this state,” Harpootlian
said, referring to the results of the pres
idential election, “but the education is
sue, the important issue, we won.”
Kevin Goldings, former chief of staff
for Gov. Jim Hodges and the man who
spearheaded the anti-lottery effort, said
he was “ecstatic” about the victory.
“If you think free technical college
education is a good thing, guess what?
You just won the lottery,” Geddings said.
Hodges, whom Geddings called “the
greatest education governor in the Unit
ed States,” said he was proud of the vot
ers.
“I’m proud of our great state of South
Carolina, aren’t you?” Hodges said.
Hodges said the voters had made a
clear decision.
“The voters have spoken loudly,”
Hodges said. “They believe in scholar
ships. They believe South Carolina
should be a leader. How about that?”
Having won in a race that was seen
as a crucial test of his political fortunes,
Hodges shared his vision for a South Car
olina with a lottery.
“I have a vision where every child
has a great preschool education, great
public school education, and every child
gets to go to college,” Hodges said.
“Let’s go to work and make this hap
pen,” he said. “Great victory."
State Sen. Todd Rutherford said the
lottery would greatly affect South
Carolina education.
“The impact will be no less than in
Georgia,” Rutherford said. “You’ll see
an increase in enrollment in tech schools
like Midlands Tech, because there’ll be
another scholarship to depend on.”
Some supporters took jstbs at oppo
nents even before the fate of the lottery
had been determined.
“The State lost their collective minds
Lottery SEE PAGE 2
Ann Marie Miani The Gamecock
Chairperson of “No Lottery 2000” Kathy Bingham, left, concedes vic
tory to lottery supporters.
Courtesy of College Press Exchange
Gore and Bush tamed their attacks during a sit-down debate, but
some criticized the negative tone of both campaigns.
■ As of press time, all major TV
networks declare Bush winner
by John Huiett
The Gamecock
As millions of Americans awaited the
verdict in the closest presidential election
in the last 40 years, Texas Gov. Geoige
W. Bush took the slimmest of leads in the
race for the White House.
At 4 a.m. Wednesday, Bush was win
ning by only 600 votes in the deciding
state of Florida.
Vice President Gore had conceded to
Bush earlier Wednesday morning, but lat
er retracted that concession in a call to
the Republican nominee.
There will be a recount in the state of
Florida because of the narrow.margin.
After factoring in the Florida absen
tee vote, networks announced that Bush
defeated Gore by an electoral vote count
of 271 to 242.
The phrase “too close to call” was the
mantra for TUesday night as Vice Presi
dent A1 Gore and Texas Governor Geoige
W. Bush traded electoral vote leads, with
each at times jumping ahead by more than
10 points, but mostly slaying within two
to three votes of each other.
Well after midnight, Bush had pulled
ahead of Gore by four electoral votes, but
no clear decision was in sight.
Earlier in the evening, Gore won sev
eral hotly contested battleground states
including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Cal
ifornia. Bush handily defeated Gore in
Texas, as well as in Gore’s home state of
Tennessee and the once-thought Demo
cratic stronghold of Clinton's home stale
of Arkansas.
It seemed Gore had the winning mo
mentum with a Florida victory earlier in
the evening. However, after absentee bal
lots began to be counted, coupled with
what was called “input errors” in voting
tabulation, the 25 electoral votes award
ed to Gore were reversed.
By 1 a.m„ Bush was leading by two
points in the electoral college.
But a final count before Wednesday,
or even Thursday, was highly doubtful.
As predicted. Green Party candidate
Ralph Nader proved to be a nemesis for
Gore, nabbing 2 percent of the national
vote and claiming considerable percent
ages in both Alaska and Oregon. At one
point, it was projected that Nader could
come in second in the battle for Alaska.
“You can’t spoil a system spoiled to
the core,” Nader said, unrepentant that
his presence in the race was causing grief
for Gore.
Bush was brimming with confi
dence earlier Tbesday night, as he went
~ U.S. Election SEE PAGE 2
I State and national races of interest
i ................
George W. Bush (R) 49%
Al Gore (D) 48%
Hillary Clinton (D) 56%
Rick Lazio (R) 44%
Bill Nelson (D) 51%
Bill McCollum (R) 47%
Joe Lieberman (D) 64%
Phil Giordano (R) 35%
Yes 54%
No 46%
Floyd Spence (R) 57%
Jane Frederick (D) 41%
Lindsey Graham (R) 68%
George Brightharp (D) 31%
James Clyburn (D) 74%
Vince Ellison (R) 25%
Rep. Spence wins easily over opponent
by Valerie Matchette,
Amanda Silva and Alicia
Ballard
The Gamecock
The mood at Republican Floyd Spence’s cam
paign headquarters was a festive one Tuesday
night. Spence’s Congressional victory, along with
important Republican wins in Richland and Beau
fort districts, fueled a positive outlook for the
presidential election as all eyes turned to national
politics.
Spence defeated Democratic challenger Jane
Frederick by a close but decisive vote of 52 to
45 percent.
Eric Dell of the Spence campaign said vot
ers had good reason to vote for Spence.
S.C. Congressional SEE PAGE 2
Ann Marie Miani The Gamecock
!!!CimJNE - CHANGE ME !!!CUTUNE - CHANGE ME K'CUTUNE - CHANGE ME !!!CUT
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Election Day holiday a thing of the past for USC
by Maggie Stewart
The Gamecock
This will be lire last year USC stu
dents, faculty and stall'will receive
Election Day oil
A bill passed May 1 by the South
Carolina General Assembly said the
-Marlin Luther King J r. Day would re
place the Election Day holiday. Al
lhough Martin Lulher King Jr. Day is
a nationally recognized date, the state
of South Carolina has never recog
nized it as a holiday, according to Jell'
Cargile, Human Resource Adminis
trator at USC.
Under the bill, South Carolina
won’t recognize Robert E. Lee’s
birthday or Jefferson Davis’ birthday
as holidays. Instead, Martin Luther
King and Martin Luther King Jr. Day
will be official slate holidays. King’s
holiday is Jan. 15, and King Jr.’ s falling
on every tliird Monday in January, ac
corduig to the Stalehouses web site.
The bill was signed by the Gov.
Hodges May 1, and will be in elfect
after this year.
USC granted students Election
Day olT in hopes it would encourage
and remind students to vote, accord
ing to Caigile.
However, it was only USC stu
dents, faculty, and stall that were al
lowed Election Day off. State em
ployees still had to go to work, ac
cording to the Governor’s office.
Students were particularly happy
llial the University gave lliem lliisyear
off, even if it will be the last.
“Tliis was agreat opportunity that
the campus gave students”, said Sta
cy Deery, a first year graduate student.
“I think it was a wonderful thing
the university did this year to en
courage students to get out and vote,”
Deery said. “But as far as next presi
dential election, 1 don’t think it will
make much of a difference.”
Students who drive home out of
town forelections, though, don’t agree
with the new bill.
“Without the day off 1 am less like
ly to go vote”, said freshman Abbey
Gonzalez.
“I’m voting this year because 1
have the time, but next election 1 will
be less inclined to,” Gonzalez said.
But Deery said having the day off
should’l make a difference.
“Most of the students who did not
live on or around campus were able
to fill out absentee ballots, and 1 don’t
think having the day off will make it
any easier for those students to vote
in upcoming elections.” she said.
IgSeats Won } 51*^ | 23 |
Overall Trend | 54 | 7^
Weather Inside Quote of the Day Datebook
Today
80
63
Thursday
75
52
USC Volleyball
may get share
of SEC Title
Page 10
“You got to be careful if you
don’t know where you’re go
ing, because you might not
get there.”
—* Yogi Berra
Wednesday
• SG Senate, 5 p.m. RH
Theater
• SG Cabinet Meeting,
7 p.m.
*
Thursday
• NAACP, 6 p.m. RH 205
• SALA, 7:30 p.m. RH
305
f >