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CNN Live Today

Reno Has Not Yet Conceded

Aired September 12, 2002 - 13:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


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JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: ... when they went to the polls, there were still terrible problems with the voting machines. Some of the voting machines didn't warm up in time, they couldn't open the polls on time.

Particularly in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Not only that, in some places, poll workers didn't even show up. Some polls didn't open until noon, some as late as 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Florida's secretary of state and the governor are so disappointed they did not sugar coat their displeasure.

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JIM SMITH, SECRETARY OF STATE, FLORIDA: Two counties, you know, get F-minus-minus-minus. Totally unacceptable.

JEB BUSH, GOVERNOR, FLORIDA: It is just unconscionable that two of the most prosperous counties in this state seem not to be able to run an election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: So now, who is going to face Jeb Bush in November? Is it going to be Bill McBride? It appears it will be. McBride has staged a remarkable upset, it appears. He was double-digits behind Janet Reno just a month ago, came back, he now has what amounts to about an 8,000-vote lead over Janet Reno, but Reno has not yet conceded.

We don't know whether she will concede today, or whether she will ask for a recount because the major problems in the voting came in South Florida, in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, which were Reno's stronghold.

So once again, faced with the same kinds of issues that we faced two years ago in the general presidential election that led to the fiasco, now it is all up to Janet Reno. Will she decide, for party unity, to go ahead and concede, or will she fight the election and throw it -- we don't know how long it would take then, before you could have a recount, and where this would all lead. But once again, Kyra, it is a mess in Florida, and I guess only Janet Reno, if she concedes now, can bail us out down here and then it is up to the elections officials for November to make sure that they square these problems away, so there is not a repeat of what happened two days ago -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, John. Let's keep our fingers crossed it won't take as long as last time. John Zarrella, thanks.

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