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CNN Live At Daybreak
Swing States of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania; Poll Watching; Laugh Lines
Aired November 01, 2004 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Election 2004 is, of course, down to the wire now. It's up to the swing states to decide who will win the presidency.
Let's check in at a few polling stations in some of the key battleground states. Our Gary Tuchman joins us live from West Palm Beach, Florida. And CNN's Adora Udoji is in a polling station in Canton, Ohio. Our Jason Carroll is with us live from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
But let's begin with Gary in Florida.
Good morning -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
Chad was just talking about in his neighborhood there was a three-hour wait for early voting. Well, in this neighborhood here in West Palm Beach, there was a five-hour wait yesterday for early voting. Yesterday on a Sunday, yes, they had early voting on the weekend here, and another day of early voting.
Behind me, the poll does not open for two hours, until 8:30 Eastern Time. There have been people in line now behind me for about the last 45 minutes. It gives you an idea of the scene here in this pivotal state.
Yesterday here, at 5:30 p.m., the polls closed at 4:00 p.m., but there was still a line of about 200 people waiting to vote. If you get in the line by 4:00 p.m. then you can do the early voting.
It was a very raucous, boisterous atmosphere, people screaming and yelling, holding signs for Kerry, holding signs for Bush. If this is any indication of how it will all go on Tuesday, we're in for a very interesting day indeed.
This county where we're standing right now exactly four years ago this month -- it is November 1 right now. We were here watching them hold punch card ballots to the light, looking at dimpled chads, looking at pregnant chads, trying to determine if there was a vote for Gore, if there was a vote for Bush.
That won't be happening in the state of Florida this year. There are no more punch card ballots. The state is using touch-screen machines in some counties, including this one; also optical scanners. They are hoping for no controversy like four years ago, but they know it will be very close here in the Sunshine State.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Oh, boy, you're not kidding. Gary Tuchman, thank you. Gary Tuchman live from Florida this morning.
Now on to Ohio, possibly some election troubles ahead for that swing state. Our Adora Udoji joins us live from the Stark County Board of Elections in my hometown of Canton, Ohio.
Good morning.
ADORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Listen, it's very telling that today on the very last day of campaigning not only will President Bush make a stop, but also Senator Kerry will. Ohio is a very important state and its 20 electoral votes potentially critical. It is a state that President Bush won in 2000, but this year he is facing an incredibly tight race.
In fact, let's take a look at the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll. It says -- it shows, rather, that among likely Ohio voters, that Kerry, they're picking Kerry 50 percent and Bush 46 percent. That's a sampling error of plus or minus 3, leaving Kerry slightly ahead.
The conventional wisdom here in Ohio is the big question is turnout tomorrow. They have had record voter registration this year, 800,000 new voters. Many believing that whichever party gets their people to the polls tomorrow are going to win.
Another big issue in this state is lawsuits. The past week there has been a flurry of legal activity. And, in fact, we are expecting some decisions today, many of the challenges having to do with the way that Ohioans vote. And one county official, the county official here of Stark County, the home where Canton is, says that so close to Election Day it just is not terribly helpful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF MATTHEWS, DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS, STARK CO., OHIO: I think it's confusing not only for the poll workers, but also the voters. One week they're being told that they can vote anywhere, and the next week they're told, no, you have to vote in your precinct. So these courts orders this late in the game really are not serving anyone's purposes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UDOJI: And, Carol, as you well know, a lot of folks are going to be taking a look at Stark County for another reason entirely. They have a very unique track record. In fact, the voters in this county have gone with the winning presidential candidate the last 9 out of 10 elections. That's a 40-year record. And, Carol, as we know, that's pretty remarkable, given how unpredictable politics can be.
COSTELLO: It just proves Ohioans know what they're doing. Adora Udoji live from Stark County this morning, thank you.
To Pennsylvania now, another swing state that may be poised for problems this election. Our Jason Carroll joins us live from there.
Good morning -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And hello to you, Carol.
You know, all eyes are going to be on Lehigh County. During the last presidential race, Gore carried the race only by 1,100 votes. That was the tightest margin anywhere in the state. So, a lot of people look at Lehigh as a place to watch. It's expected to be just as intense this time around.
Right now, I'm standing by some of these voting machines here. They're going to be put into place tomorrow obviously. But a lot of problems are facing the state much like what we saw in Ohio. You've got lawsuits.
In addition to that, you've got record numbers of registered voters here in the state. Now, that may not seem like a problem, but it is when you look at the computer system that's in place statewide to process all of those registrants. It's painfully slow, and a lot of election workers feel as though when some people show up at the polling booth their name might not be in their system.
Also, you've got the issue of provisional ballots. That's a big issue here. There seems to be some confusion among some of the counties. There are 67 counties here in the state of Pennsylvania in terms of who gets a provisional ballot and who doesn't. But there is one point where both Democrats and Republicans agree, and both of them say the provisional ballots, at least in this state, is a good thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: To me, the provisional ballot is a good idea. I know it delays certification of the election, but I want to make sure that anybody who is eligible to vote gets their vote counted.
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The provisional ballots are difficult only because there is so much misunderstanding about their use. But in the end, the provisional ballot is good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Again, you've got a record number of people in this state of Pennsylvania that are registered to vote, 8.3 million. That's up from 5 percent from the last election. Election workers are saying expect long lines that you saw there in Florida. They're saying that what you're going to have to do is when you come out to vote, you're just going to have to be patient -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, that technology you're standing, it looks like -- they look like antiques. CARROLL: Oh, they do, don't they? They're actually locked up here in some of these. And when they open them up, they're pretty basic, you know. And there are actually, I should also tell you, several different methods that you can vote. The punch card is used here. Electronic voting is used in the state of Pennsylvania. Lots of different methods. You know, that can add to some confusion as well. We'll see.
COSTELLO: So no punch cards in Florida, but there are punch cards in Pennsylvania.
CARROLL: We have them here in Pennsylvania.
COSTELLO: And I know 70 percent of Ohio voters will use punch cards. So it could be quite ugly. Jason Carroll live from Pennsylvania, thank you.
Coming up, political humor with one of the guys behind your editorial page favorites. And the monitors at the polls. Who are these people? And exactly what will they do? I'll talk to one of them coming up.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei closed down almost 82 points. Britain's FTSE trading up now at 30. The France CAC is up nearly 15 points.
Let's head live to New York and check in with Bill and Soledad for a look at what's coming up on -- are you going to talk about election this morning?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No, not today.
(CROSSTALK)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: No, no. What's on your mind? What's on your mind, Carol? One day to go, huh? We're going to look today at one of the biggest factors in the polls tomorrow with this bin Laden tape. Will it sway voters one way or the other? Both campaigns are here, Wesley Clark and Marc Racicot. So we'll get their impressions on a Monday.
O'BRIEN: Also, we're talking about the ballot in Colorado could throw the Electoral College into disarray. This morning, we chat with Governor Bill Owens. Plus, there's a ruling expected today in a fight over voter qualification in Ohio. The question, of course, is it an attempt to end voter fraud, or is it just more political maneuvering? We'll delve into that this morning.
HEMMER: And for about five months now this Scott Peterson case has been front and center, pushed to the side now, even though the prosecution, closing arguments are going to start today. Dean Johnson will analyze what their arguments will be. They're going to deliberate this thing quite possibly when America is voting.
O'BRIEN: Yes, no question about it.
HEMMER: And we won't say a word about it.
O'BRIEN: Oh, we will. We'll bring you up-to-speed on that, too. We'll just cover everything.
COSTELLO: I'm sure there will be one of those annoying crawls at the bottom of the screen.
O'BRIEN: Annoying crawls. People love those crawls, Carol.
HEMMER: Come on.
O'BRIEN: What are you talking about?
COSTELLO: Oh, I forgot, sorry. Bill and Soledad, thanks. We'll catch you in 20 minutes.
HEMMER: Bye-bye.
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:40 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
We're following breaking news out of Israel. A suicide bomber set off an explosion in a Tel Aviv marketplace. At least three are dead, more than 30 wounded.
After 22 weeks and dozens of witnesses, a California jury finally starts hearing closing arguments today in Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Jurors could start deliberating as soon as Wednesday.
In money news, the stock market rides into election week on an upswing. The Dow and the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all posting strong showings over the last week.
In culture, the Rosemary Clooney museum may be opening soon in Augusta, Kentucky. Former Miss America Heather French Henry (ph) plans to buy Clooney's old house, and then she'll open it up to the public.
In sports, the Chicago Bears got just their second win of the season by beating the San Francisco 49ers. The Bears scored the final 10 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Niners 23-13.
And, Chad, we should also mention the race here in Atlanta.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, obviously the Nextel Cup race, right?
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Seven of the top 10 competitors having trouble yesterday, one of them into the wall, many of the -- especially the Rausch (ph) cars having engine trouble, except for Mark Martin. And then, of course, the Hendricks (ph) story, and then obviously Jimmy Johnson winning the race there for the Hendricks (ph) and dedicating that race to the memory of all those people lost in the crash last Sunday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: When we come back, a look at the humorous side of this campaign through the eyes of a political cartoonist. This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We head to the polls tomorrow to cast our vote in what could turn out to be a historic election. The importance isn't lost on the Justice Department, considering the Florida election debacle in 2000. The Justice Department is deploying nearly 1,100 federal poll monitors. They'll descend on 86 jurisdictions in 25 states, including the battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. One thing they'll look for is civil rights or criminal abuses.
In the meantime, people all across the country will be watching Florida tomorrow night. In addition to the federal monitors, the state is swarming with volunteer lawyers and others serving as poll watchers who want to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Joining me now is Michael Coppock who is volunteering to provide legal help at the polls in Fort Lauderdale.
And just so everyone knows, you are a Democrat. We tried to get a Republican monitor to come on, but we found you. And thank you for being with DAYBREAK this morning.
MICHAEL COPPOCK, DEMOCRATIC LEGAL VOLUNTEER: You're very welcome. Good morning.
COSTELLO: So, you're going down to Fort Lauderdale using your own money and your own time. Why are you doing that?
COPPOCK: Well, for a couple of reasons. The first is that in my daily practice, I'm a corporate lawyer. I do big deals and transactions for companies in Atlanta. And I don't often have a chance to do something that works in the public good. And here was an opportunity to do something that I really care about.
I guess the other reason would be that I watched on the sidelines in the 2000 election, and was hurt to see that there were people who were possibly disenfranchised in our last election. And many of those were minorities, and that was something that did not sit well with me. And I just wanted to be a part of it to help prevent it this time around.
COSTELLO: So, what exactly are you going to do when you reach a polling place in Fort Lauderdale?
COPPOCK: Well, I'll be one of the poll watchers outside of the polling area. I'll be 50 feet away from the entrance. And at first I thought that that would be, you know, the area where there's not much going on, but because the lines are so long, I'll have an opportunity to help people in terms of questions that they may have about the process, making sure that there are no challenges that are not brought the correct way. And just sort of making sure that the process goes smoothly and that all of the voters get the right to vote and have that vote counted.
COSTELLO: Will you actually approach voters? Or will you wait for them to ask you?
COPPOCK: I think it depends on the circumstances. You know, my personal approach is to be very observant of what's happening around me. And if there is a situation where I need to approach a voter who seems like they might need some help, then surely I'll do that. But my approach will be to make myself as friendly and available to voters as possible, and hopefully they'll come to me if they have questions.
COSTELLO: You know, some people might say that this is really a form of intimidation. How do you answer that charge?
COPPOCK: I don't think it's a form of intimidation at all. I think the right to vote is something that's very, very dear to American people. And here is, you know, a group of lawyers from all different sides of the political spectrum coming down to help make sure that we protect that right. So, that's not intimidation; that's protecting an American right.
COSTELLO: So, a last question for you. If you notice anything wrong, in your eyes, what will you do with that information?
COPPOCK: Well, there's an entire process that we have set up. I'll call my supervisors at the county and deal with the situation as quickly as possible. Hopefully, we'd like to be in a situation where we can get all of the voters voting a regular ballot right there at the spot and have any issues resolved right on the spot.
COSTELLO: So, just in fairness to the people waiting in line to vote who might be intimidated by a bunch of lawyers standing around, because some people are just intimidated by lawyers, right?
COPPOCK: Sure, sure.
COSTELLO: So, they have every right to tell you just to go away, don't they?
COPPOCK: They do. They do. And to be honest, this is not just a lawyer effort. I mean, there are 7,000 poll monitors in Florida right now; 1,500 of them are Florida and state lawyers and the rest are non-lawyers. So, you know, I don't think that there is going to be an issue with people not being able to tell people to go away. There will be lawyers and non-lawyers there who will be able to respond according to what the voters want.
COSTELLO: Michael Coppock, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
COPPOCK: You're very welcome. Bye-bye.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
We'll check in with one of America's political cartoonists in just a minute. Plus, your chance to win a DAYBREAK coffee mug in two minutes.
But first, this is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: This election season has been great fun for political cartoonists. We've seen some very clever takes on the candidates. This one, for example, pokes fun at Kerry's flip-flop image touted by the Bush administration.
And we've got one that jabs at Bush in the -- you know, we like to be fair on DAYBREAK. It was drawn by Mike Luckovich of the "Atlantic Journal-Constitution," and he joins us now to talk about the material.
He and his colleagues have had over the last several months of campaigning to work with. And it's been a rich political season for you, hasn't it?
MIKE LUCKOVICH, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": You know, it's been incredible, and it is -- this is what we live for. And this is such a serious election that I can't speak for my fellow cartoonists, but I've just been on pins and needles the last couple of weeks.
COSTELLO: You and everyone else.
LUCKOVICH: Yes, yes.
COSTELLO: You said in the break, though, that you were kind of nervous about Election Day. Why?
LUCKOVICH: Well, you know, it's -- right now there's this -- you don't know what's going to happen. I mean, it's like a dead heat, and it's all going to be to get out the votes. But there's this groundswell that's under the radar out there, and I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen.
And so, I'm trying to read. I go to CNN.com and various Web sites trying to get a feeling for what's going to happen, and it's just one of these things that...
COSTELLO: No, you just can't. You just don't know.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: During this campaign season, I've always been interested in what you look for when you go to draw your cartoons. I mean, what catches your interest...
(CROSSTALK) LUCKOVICH: What I look for is sort of a break from the script, because both campaigns are very scripted. And so, there are these great moments, like during the debates where you actually get to see them kind of up close and real in a certain way. For instance, at the Cheney debate, the V.P. debate with Edwards, you really got to see those two guys, and it was fun to watch them and to be able to comment on maybe some of their miscues or misstatements.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And they're such different men.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: And their personalities were so starkly different.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: I want to show viewers an example of a political cartoon, and we can see that this is making fun of that missing Iraqi munitions dump.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: That was something that was easy to take out of the campaign and put into a cartoon.
LUCKOVICH: Right. Oh, it was, because, again, it's off script. I mean, Bush -- the Bush administration did not want this coming out at this point. And so, they have to spin it as best they can. And Kerry is going after that. So, it's just one of those back-and- forths.
I actually did a cartoon of that, where Bush is on stage, and behind him you see a guy pulling out a rabbit. And someone is saying, oh, look, now he's blaming David Copperfield for this now. So, you know, that was just like a perfect thing for a cartoonist.
COSTELLO: Actually, if we could skip over the next two graphics we have and go to the Mount St. Helens erupting, because this is one of my favorites. I think it's very clever. You have Mount St. Helens sneezing...
LUCKOVICH: No, that's not my cartoon.
COSTELLO: I know it's not.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, OK.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry to say that it's one of my favorites.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, all right. No, no, I think that's Steve Benson (ph) at the "Arizona Republic."
COSTELLO: Yes, it's pretty good.
LUCKOVICH: He's very good.
COSTELLO: But this is Mount St. Helens sneezing.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: And the caption from Kerry is, "My fellow Americans, this would not have happened if President Bush had provided enough flu vaccine."
And that was another thing that you guys could kind of grab on to.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes, because, again, it's one of those things that just pops out. They're trying to control their message. That is something that is -- you know, each side has the opportunity to spin it to make each other look bad. And I did a cartoon on that, where you see the electoral map, it's blue and red. And an aide to Bush is saying, OK, now the red states have fever, the blue states have nausea. So...
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh! When you're looking at the candidates to draw them, what characteristics do you pull out from John Kerry to make a great caricature?
LUCKOVICH: Well, you know, I don't know if you've noticed this, but John Kerry has sort of a long face. Have you noticed that, Carol?
COSTELLO: I kind of have, yes.
LUCKOVICH: Yes. So, I really like to accentuate the chin, and I always describe him as looking like one of those talking trees from "Lord of the Rings," one of those ents (ph). You know, he's just sort of the -- you know, he's just sort of knolled in a way. He's a good- looking guy at the same time, but he's just -- there's a gravitas about him. And he's got a well-lined face, and his eyes are well set back. So, he's just -- if he becomes president, he will just be perfect to draw.
COSTELLO: It's pretty easy. George Bush, quickly.
LUCKOVICH: OK, you know, he's got very tiny, tiny features, a little tiny -- a very tiny nose and very tiny eyes. And so, there's not much good to work with. So, I always make his ears extra large. Especially as he does badly at things, I make his ears larger.
COSTELLO: Fascinating. And on your Web site on the AJC and people will look it up.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, excellent, yes.
COSTELLO: Quickly, because we have to get to "AMERICAN MORNING."
LUCKOVICH: Beginning tomorrow night, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00, each hour we're going to show a new cartoon of what I'm drawing that evening.
COSTELLO: AJC.com.
LUCKOVICH: AJC.com. All right, thank you.
COSTELLO: Mike Luckovich, thanks for joining us. We'll give away the mug tomorrow. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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Aired November 1, 2004 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Election 2004 is, of course, down to the wire now. It's up to the swing states to decide who will win the presidency.
Let's check in at a few polling stations in some of the key battleground states. Our Gary Tuchman joins us live from West Palm Beach, Florida. And CNN's Adora Udoji is in a polling station in Canton, Ohio. Our Jason Carroll is with us live from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
But let's begin with Gary in Florida.
Good morning -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
Chad was just talking about in his neighborhood there was a three-hour wait for early voting. Well, in this neighborhood here in West Palm Beach, there was a five-hour wait yesterday for early voting. Yesterday on a Sunday, yes, they had early voting on the weekend here, and another day of early voting.
Behind me, the poll does not open for two hours, until 8:30 Eastern Time. There have been people in line now behind me for about the last 45 minutes. It gives you an idea of the scene here in this pivotal state.
Yesterday here, at 5:30 p.m., the polls closed at 4:00 p.m., but there was still a line of about 200 people waiting to vote. If you get in the line by 4:00 p.m. then you can do the early voting.
It was a very raucous, boisterous atmosphere, people screaming and yelling, holding signs for Kerry, holding signs for Bush. If this is any indication of how it will all go on Tuesday, we're in for a very interesting day indeed.
This county where we're standing right now exactly four years ago this month -- it is November 1 right now. We were here watching them hold punch card ballots to the light, looking at dimpled chads, looking at pregnant chads, trying to determine if there was a vote for Gore, if there was a vote for Bush.
That won't be happening in the state of Florida this year. There are no more punch card ballots. The state is using touch-screen machines in some counties, including this one; also optical scanners. They are hoping for no controversy like four years ago, but they know it will be very close here in the Sunshine State.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Oh, boy, you're not kidding. Gary Tuchman, thank you. Gary Tuchman live from Florida this morning.
Now on to Ohio, possibly some election troubles ahead for that swing state. Our Adora Udoji joins us live from the Stark County Board of Elections in my hometown of Canton, Ohio.
Good morning.
ADORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Listen, it's very telling that today on the very last day of campaigning not only will President Bush make a stop, but also Senator Kerry will. Ohio is a very important state and its 20 electoral votes potentially critical. It is a state that President Bush won in 2000, but this year he is facing an incredibly tight race.
In fact, let's take a look at the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll. It says -- it shows, rather, that among likely Ohio voters, that Kerry, they're picking Kerry 50 percent and Bush 46 percent. That's a sampling error of plus or minus 3, leaving Kerry slightly ahead.
The conventional wisdom here in Ohio is the big question is turnout tomorrow. They have had record voter registration this year, 800,000 new voters. Many believing that whichever party gets their people to the polls tomorrow are going to win.
Another big issue in this state is lawsuits. The past week there has been a flurry of legal activity. And, in fact, we are expecting some decisions today, many of the challenges having to do with the way that Ohioans vote. And one county official, the county official here of Stark County, the home where Canton is, says that so close to Election Day it just is not terribly helpful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF MATTHEWS, DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS, STARK CO., OHIO: I think it's confusing not only for the poll workers, but also the voters. One week they're being told that they can vote anywhere, and the next week they're told, no, you have to vote in your precinct. So these courts orders this late in the game really are not serving anyone's purposes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UDOJI: And, Carol, as you well know, a lot of folks are going to be taking a look at Stark County for another reason entirely. They have a very unique track record. In fact, the voters in this county have gone with the winning presidential candidate the last 9 out of 10 elections. That's a 40-year record. And, Carol, as we know, that's pretty remarkable, given how unpredictable politics can be.
COSTELLO: It just proves Ohioans know what they're doing. Adora Udoji live from Stark County this morning, thank you.
To Pennsylvania now, another swing state that may be poised for problems this election. Our Jason Carroll joins us live from there.
Good morning -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And hello to you, Carol.
You know, all eyes are going to be on Lehigh County. During the last presidential race, Gore carried the race only by 1,100 votes. That was the tightest margin anywhere in the state. So, a lot of people look at Lehigh as a place to watch. It's expected to be just as intense this time around.
Right now, I'm standing by some of these voting machines here. They're going to be put into place tomorrow obviously. But a lot of problems are facing the state much like what we saw in Ohio. You've got lawsuits.
In addition to that, you've got record numbers of registered voters here in the state. Now, that may not seem like a problem, but it is when you look at the computer system that's in place statewide to process all of those registrants. It's painfully slow, and a lot of election workers feel as though when some people show up at the polling booth their name might not be in their system.
Also, you've got the issue of provisional ballots. That's a big issue here. There seems to be some confusion among some of the counties. There are 67 counties here in the state of Pennsylvania in terms of who gets a provisional ballot and who doesn't. But there is one point where both Democrats and Republicans agree, and both of them say the provisional ballots, at least in this state, is a good thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: To me, the provisional ballot is a good idea. I know it delays certification of the election, but I want to make sure that anybody who is eligible to vote gets their vote counted.
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The provisional ballots are difficult only because there is so much misunderstanding about their use. But in the end, the provisional ballot is good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Again, you've got a record number of people in this state of Pennsylvania that are registered to vote, 8.3 million. That's up from 5 percent from the last election. Election workers are saying expect long lines that you saw there in Florida. They're saying that what you're going to have to do is when you come out to vote, you're just going to have to be patient -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, that technology you're standing, it looks like -- they look like antiques. CARROLL: Oh, they do, don't they? They're actually locked up here in some of these. And when they open them up, they're pretty basic, you know. And there are actually, I should also tell you, several different methods that you can vote. The punch card is used here. Electronic voting is used in the state of Pennsylvania. Lots of different methods. You know, that can add to some confusion as well. We'll see.
COSTELLO: So no punch cards in Florida, but there are punch cards in Pennsylvania.
CARROLL: We have them here in Pennsylvania.
COSTELLO: And I know 70 percent of Ohio voters will use punch cards. So it could be quite ugly. Jason Carroll live from Pennsylvania, thank you.
Coming up, political humor with one of the guys behind your editorial page favorites. And the monitors at the polls. Who are these people? And exactly what will they do? I'll talk to one of them coming up.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei closed down almost 82 points. Britain's FTSE trading up now at 30. The France CAC is up nearly 15 points.
Let's head live to New York and check in with Bill and Soledad for a look at what's coming up on -- are you going to talk about election this morning?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No, not today.
(CROSSTALK)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: No, no. What's on your mind? What's on your mind, Carol? One day to go, huh? We're going to look today at one of the biggest factors in the polls tomorrow with this bin Laden tape. Will it sway voters one way or the other? Both campaigns are here, Wesley Clark and Marc Racicot. So we'll get their impressions on a Monday.
O'BRIEN: Also, we're talking about the ballot in Colorado could throw the Electoral College into disarray. This morning, we chat with Governor Bill Owens. Plus, there's a ruling expected today in a fight over voter qualification in Ohio. The question, of course, is it an attempt to end voter fraud, or is it just more political maneuvering? We'll delve into that this morning.
HEMMER: And for about five months now this Scott Peterson case has been front and center, pushed to the side now, even though the prosecution, closing arguments are going to start today. Dean Johnson will analyze what their arguments will be. They're going to deliberate this thing quite possibly when America is voting.
O'BRIEN: Yes, no question about it.
HEMMER: And we won't say a word about it.
O'BRIEN: Oh, we will. We'll bring you up-to-speed on that, too. We'll just cover everything.
COSTELLO: I'm sure there will be one of those annoying crawls at the bottom of the screen.
O'BRIEN: Annoying crawls. People love those crawls, Carol.
HEMMER: Come on.
O'BRIEN: What are you talking about?
COSTELLO: Oh, I forgot, sorry. Bill and Soledad, thanks. We'll catch you in 20 minutes.
HEMMER: Bye-bye.
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:40 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
We're following breaking news out of Israel. A suicide bomber set off an explosion in a Tel Aviv marketplace. At least three are dead, more than 30 wounded.
After 22 weeks and dozens of witnesses, a California jury finally starts hearing closing arguments today in Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Jurors could start deliberating as soon as Wednesday.
In money news, the stock market rides into election week on an upswing. The Dow and the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all posting strong showings over the last week.
In culture, the Rosemary Clooney museum may be opening soon in Augusta, Kentucky. Former Miss America Heather French Henry (ph) plans to buy Clooney's old house, and then she'll open it up to the public.
In sports, the Chicago Bears got just their second win of the season by beating the San Francisco 49ers. The Bears scored the final 10 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Niners 23-13.
And, Chad, we should also mention the race here in Atlanta.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, obviously the Nextel Cup race, right?
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Seven of the top 10 competitors having trouble yesterday, one of them into the wall, many of the -- especially the Rausch (ph) cars having engine trouble, except for Mark Martin. And then, of course, the Hendricks (ph) story, and then obviously Jimmy Johnson winning the race there for the Hendricks (ph) and dedicating that race to the memory of all those people lost in the crash last Sunday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: When we come back, a look at the humorous side of this campaign through the eyes of a political cartoonist. This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We head to the polls tomorrow to cast our vote in what could turn out to be a historic election. The importance isn't lost on the Justice Department, considering the Florida election debacle in 2000. The Justice Department is deploying nearly 1,100 federal poll monitors. They'll descend on 86 jurisdictions in 25 states, including the battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. One thing they'll look for is civil rights or criminal abuses.
In the meantime, people all across the country will be watching Florida tomorrow night. In addition to the federal monitors, the state is swarming with volunteer lawyers and others serving as poll watchers who want to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Joining me now is Michael Coppock who is volunteering to provide legal help at the polls in Fort Lauderdale.
And just so everyone knows, you are a Democrat. We tried to get a Republican monitor to come on, but we found you. And thank you for being with DAYBREAK this morning.
MICHAEL COPPOCK, DEMOCRATIC LEGAL VOLUNTEER: You're very welcome. Good morning.
COSTELLO: So, you're going down to Fort Lauderdale using your own money and your own time. Why are you doing that?
COPPOCK: Well, for a couple of reasons. The first is that in my daily practice, I'm a corporate lawyer. I do big deals and transactions for companies in Atlanta. And I don't often have a chance to do something that works in the public good. And here was an opportunity to do something that I really care about.
I guess the other reason would be that I watched on the sidelines in the 2000 election, and was hurt to see that there were people who were possibly disenfranchised in our last election. And many of those were minorities, and that was something that did not sit well with me. And I just wanted to be a part of it to help prevent it this time around.
COSTELLO: So, what exactly are you going to do when you reach a polling place in Fort Lauderdale?
COPPOCK: Well, I'll be one of the poll watchers outside of the polling area. I'll be 50 feet away from the entrance. And at first I thought that that would be, you know, the area where there's not much going on, but because the lines are so long, I'll have an opportunity to help people in terms of questions that they may have about the process, making sure that there are no challenges that are not brought the correct way. And just sort of making sure that the process goes smoothly and that all of the voters get the right to vote and have that vote counted.
COSTELLO: Will you actually approach voters? Or will you wait for them to ask you?
COPPOCK: I think it depends on the circumstances. You know, my personal approach is to be very observant of what's happening around me. And if there is a situation where I need to approach a voter who seems like they might need some help, then surely I'll do that. But my approach will be to make myself as friendly and available to voters as possible, and hopefully they'll come to me if they have questions.
COSTELLO: You know, some people might say that this is really a form of intimidation. How do you answer that charge?
COPPOCK: I don't think it's a form of intimidation at all. I think the right to vote is something that's very, very dear to American people. And here is, you know, a group of lawyers from all different sides of the political spectrum coming down to help make sure that we protect that right. So, that's not intimidation; that's protecting an American right.
COSTELLO: So, a last question for you. If you notice anything wrong, in your eyes, what will you do with that information?
COPPOCK: Well, there's an entire process that we have set up. I'll call my supervisors at the county and deal with the situation as quickly as possible. Hopefully, we'd like to be in a situation where we can get all of the voters voting a regular ballot right there at the spot and have any issues resolved right on the spot.
COSTELLO: So, just in fairness to the people waiting in line to vote who might be intimidated by a bunch of lawyers standing around, because some people are just intimidated by lawyers, right?
COPPOCK: Sure, sure.
COSTELLO: So, they have every right to tell you just to go away, don't they?
COPPOCK: They do. They do. And to be honest, this is not just a lawyer effort. I mean, there are 7,000 poll monitors in Florida right now; 1,500 of them are Florida and state lawyers and the rest are non-lawyers. So, you know, I don't think that there is going to be an issue with people not being able to tell people to go away. There will be lawyers and non-lawyers there who will be able to respond according to what the voters want.
COSTELLO: Michael Coppock, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
COPPOCK: You're very welcome. Bye-bye.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
We'll check in with one of America's political cartoonists in just a minute. Plus, your chance to win a DAYBREAK coffee mug in two minutes.
But first, this is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: This election season has been great fun for political cartoonists. We've seen some very clever takes on the candidates. This one, for example, pokes fun at Kerry's flip-flop image touted by the Bush administration.
And we've got one that jabs at Bush in the -- you know, we like to be fair on DAYBREAK. It was drawn by Mike Luckovich of the "Atlantic Journal-Constitution," and he joins us now to talk about the material.
He and his colleagues have had over the last several months of campaigning to work with. And it's been a rich political season for you, hasn't it?
MIKE LUCKOVICH, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": You know, it's been incredible, and it is -- this is what we live for. And this is such a serious election that I can't speak for my fellow cartoonists, but I've just been on pins and needles the last couple of weeks.
COSTELLO: You and everyone else.
LUCKOVICH: Yes, yes.
COSTELLO: You said in the break, though, that you were kind of nervous about Election Day. Why?
LUCKOVICH: Well, you know, it's -- right now there's this -- you don't know what's going to happen. I mean, it's like a dead heat, and it's all going to be to get out the votes. But there's this groundswell that's under the radar out there, and I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen.
And so, I'm trying to read. I go to CNN.com and various Web sites trying to get a feeling for what's going to happen, and it's just one of these things that...
COSTELLO: No, you just can't. You just don't know.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: During this campaign season, I've always been interested in what you look for when you go to draw your cartoons. I mean, what catches your interest...
(CROSSTALK) LUCKOVICH: What I look for is sort of a break from the script, because both campaigns are very scripted. And so, there are these great moments, like during the debates where you actually get to see them kind of up close and real in a certain way. For instance, at the Cheney debate, the V.P. debate with Edwards, you really got to see those two guys, and it was fun to watch them and to be able to comment on maybe some of their miscues or misstatements.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And they're such different men.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: And their personalities were so starkly different.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: I want to show viewers an example of a political cartoon, and we can see that this is making fun of that missing Iraqi munitions dump.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: That was something that was easy to take out of the campaign and put into a cartoon.
LUCKOVICH: Right. Oh, it was, because, again, it's off script. I mean, Bush -- the Bush administration did not want this coming out at this point. And so, they have to spin it as best they can. And Kerry is going after that. So, it's just one of those back-and- forths.
I actually did a cartoon of that, where Bush is on stage, and behind him you see a guy pulling out a rabbit. And someone is saying, oh, look, now he's blaming David Copperfield for this now. So, you know, that was just like a perfect thing for a cartoonist.
COSTELLO: Actually, if we could skip over the next two graphics we have and go to the Mount St. Helens erupting, because this is one of my favorites. I think it's very clever. You have Mount St. Helens sneezing...
LUCKOVICH: No, that's not my cartoon.
COSTELLO: I know it's not.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, OK.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry to say that it's one of my favorites.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, all right. No, no, I think that's Steve Benson (ph) at the "Arizona Republic."
COSTELLO: Yes, it's pretty good.
LUCKOVICH: He's very good.
COSTELLO: But this is Mount St. Helens sneezing.
LUCKOVICH: Right.
COSTELLO: And the caption from Kerry is, "My fellow Americans, this would not have happened if President Bush had provided enough flu vaccine."
And that was another thing that you guys could kind of grab on to.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes, because, again, it's one of those things that just pops out. They're trying to control their message. That is something that is -- you know, each side has the opportunity to spin it to make each other look bad. And I did a cartoon on that, where you see the electoral map, it's blue and red. And an aide to Bush is saying, OK, now the red states have fever, the blue states have nausea. So...
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh! When you're looking at the candidates to draw them, what characteristics do you pull out from John Kerry to make a great caricature?
LUCKOVICH: Well, you know, I don't know if you've noticed this, but John Kerry has sort of a long face. Have you noticed that, Carol?
COSTELLO: I kind of have, yes.
LUCKOVICH: Yes. So, I really like to accentuate the chin, and I always describe him as looking like one of those talking trees from "Lord of the Rings," one of those ents (ph). You know, he's just sort of the -- you know, he's just sort of knolled in a way. He's a good- looking guy at the same time, but he's just -- there's a gravitas about him. And he's got a well-lined face, and his eyes are well set back. So, he's just -- if he becomes president, he will just be perfect to draw.
COSTELLO: It's pretty easy. George Bush, quickly.
LUCKOVICH: OK, you know, he's got very tiny, tiny features, a little tiny -- a very tiny nose and very tiny eyes. And so, there's not much good to work with. So, I always make his ears extra large. Especially as he does badly at things, I make his ears larger.
COSTELLO: Fascinating. And on your Web site on the AJC and people will look it up.
LUCKOVICH: Oh, excellent, yes.
COSTELLO: Quickly, because we have to get to "AMERICAN MORNING."
LUCKOVICH: Beginning tomorrow night, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00, each hour we're going to show a new cartoon of what I'm drawing that evening.
COSTELLO: AJC.com.
LUCKOVICH: AJC.com. All right, thank you.
COSTELLO: Mike Luckovich, thanks for joining us. We'll give away the mug tomorrow. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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