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American Morning

Now They Wait; Votes on Machines Before Polls Opened in Philadelphia; Making the Call

Aired November 02, 2004 - 11:01 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.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now they wait. A long, tense day ahead for George Bush and John Kerry after a long and exhausting campaign, while the voters hold the presidency in their hands, choosing the country's future on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. It's campaign day, Election Day 2004. 11:00 here in New York, 8:00 out in California. We are on today for five hours as our election coverage continues.

How you doing, by the way?

O'BRIEN: I'm doing great.

Jack, wake up.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, great.

HEMMER: Jack, soon it's going to be "AMERICAN AFTERNOON, " right?

CAFFERTY: Ask them -- ask them if we can stay on until 3:00 or 4:00, will you?

O'BRIEN: Sure. You want to stay on until 3:00 or 4:00?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I'm having a great time.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely.

I'm having a great time.

HEMMER: Well, the voting continues. We're on extended duty today here at CNN.

In a few moments, we'll go back to some of the -- some of the polling places around the country, checking in to see whether or not the voting can be called smooth or rocky or somewhere in between. Paul Begala is here, Tucker Carlson is here, talking about what they think is the biggest misstep of this campaign, maybe the biggest mistake that each side has made. So we'll talk to -- talk to the folks from "CROSSFIRE" this hour also.

O'BRIEN: Here's what everybody agrees on...

HEMMER: Yes?

O'BRIEN: It will be the one thing they agree on -- it's going to be close. The question is, why is the nation so divided? Why is it so close? We'll talk to Bill Schneider in just a moment about the unique factors that have produced an election that is as close as it is.

HEMMER: Good deal. He's been looking back into history. He can do that quite well.

Jack's back.

What's happening?

CAFFERTY: We're asking an e-mail question today about how you're going to react if your guy loses. Not only is the country divided, but they are passionately divided. The war on terror, the war in Iraq, all of these driving up emotions as we go to the election today.

And so if you're on the short end of this deal -- and about half of country will be -- what are you going to do about it? AM@CNN.com.

HEMMER: All right.

O'BRIEN: Jack, thanks.

Well, Americans are out in droves to vote this morning. And the president and the first lady were among them. They voted with their daughters in Crawford, Texas. The president saying he trusts the judgment of the American people.

We also saw Vice President Dick Cheney voting in his home state. Senator Kerry yet to vote this morning. We're told that he is, in fact, going to vote in Boston a little bit later on today.

Elsewhere, lines started forming before daybreak. In some places voters are waiting in the rain and cold to cast their ballots in this hotly-contested election. Both parties have been pushing to increase turnout among their supporters in a race where every vote might be critical.

Add Alaska to the list of states where voting is under way. Most polling stations are open now in 49 states. Hawaii the only state where the polls have yet to open.

CNN is counting down to the close of the polls.

Time to check in now, in fact, at some polling places where the voting is already under way. We've got reporters at locations in crucial swing states this morning. CNN's Adaora Udoji is in Canton, Ohio. Thelma Gutierrez is in Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver. And national correspondent Gary Tuchman in West Palm Beach, Florida, this morning.

Thelma, let's begin with you in Colorado, where the polls have opened most recently. Good morning.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

We're here outside of the Abu Bakar (ph) mosque, where 400 people have already cast their votes this morning. Four precincts are reporting here. And they're expecting about 3,000 people to show up and vote here today.

Now, inside the mosque, the lines are much shorter than they were earlier in the day. There are 12 touch-screen voting machines which have been controversial because there is no way to confirm how people have voted because there is no paper trail.

Now, Colorado is one state where people are required to show their identifications. Ex-cons here are also allowed to vote as long as they are not on parole. Now, those were issues that were brought up by the Republicans earlier.

Both parties here have poll watchers. The poll watchers have said that things are going very smoothly so far.

Now, election officials say that 30 percent of the state has already voted. Most of the polls show that Coloradoans are favoring George Bush. Now, already more than 500,000 people have voted absentee, another 375,000 voted early. And election officials say they have never seen anything like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA COREIN, COLORADO VOTER: I got here at 5:45 this morning. And I've learned from living in Colorado for 12 years that there are lines wherever you go. And I tried to early vote and got -- I missed out because of lines. So I didn't want to miss out this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Again, a very busy day here in Colorado. State officials are expecting between a 70 percent and 75 percent voter turnout today.

Soledad, back to you.

O'BRIEN: Thelma Gutierrez in Aurora, Colorado, which is just outside of Denver.

Let's check in now with national correspondent Gary Tuchman. As we mentioned, he's in West Palm Beach, Florida, this morning.

Gary, good morning.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.

If you're one of those people who don't think you want to vote because the lines will be too long, well take this as a case in point. Palm Beach County, Florida, the hotbed of political miscues in 2000, at this precinct there is no line whatsoever here in West Palm Beach. There are five touch-screen machines, and right now there's only one person using them.

The line is no longer than a line at the Dairy Queen drive-in window in the middle of the winter. There is no line whatsoever. There was a line early this morning, but nothing at all now. A decent turnout so far, but it's very easy to come in and vote.

One piece of news we want to tell you here, an interesting little headline. Provisional ballots a whole new thing for every state in the country after the problems in the year 2000.

People can fill out a provisional ballot if their name is not on the registration list. And then after the polls close they determine if that ballot will be counted.

Well, someone came in here today, first time voting from the country of Colombia. They just moved to the United States, their name was not registered. So they were going to get a provisional ballot.

But according to the county law, the people in each precinct have to call the supervisor of elections office to determine if it's OK to open the provisional ballot envelope. No one was answering at that office.

The person didn't feel like waiting. They left. And that's one vote that won't be counted in this election.

Soledad, back to you.

O'BRIEN: Gary Tuchman in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Let's go check in now in Canton, Ohio, which is where we find Adaora Udoji this morning.

Good morning to you.

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

We've seen a steady flow of folks voting at this polling station across the street there. County officials telling us so far a very heavy turnout.

Now, this is after all of the legal wrangling put to rest, the question of challengers, after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in a decision that was upholding Ohio law. Essentially, Republicans went to the Supreme Court and wanted a decision upheld, saying that in Ohio, that challengers would be allowed to go into the polling stations and challenge anyone's eligibility to vote.

Democrats had argued against it. They were concerned about suppression. Republicans say they were concerned about -- they are concerned about voter fraud.

But whatever the case, the bottom line is right now both Republicans and Democrats both have challengers in various polling stations across the state. It's not clear how many in the 88 counties. But at this point, we are hearing no reports of any problems. We spoke to Governor Taft on AMERICAN MORNING earlier and he said the court ruled in the right way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOB TAFT (R), OHIO: We're just trying to uphold Ohio law. It's the Democrats who have repeatedly gone into federal court to challenge longstanding Ohio law intended to uphold the accuracy and the integrity of our elections.

I think the concern is everyone should vote, absolutely. Very important. A civil right, and we're working to assure that right. At the same time, nobody particularly wants their vote to be canceled out by a voter who is not properly registered to vote where they're voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UDOJI: Now, Taft is predicting record turnouts. And that would be somewhere north of 70 percent.

We've also spoken to some of the get-out-the-vote advocates on the ground, American Coming Together and American Votes, both groups linked to Democrats. And they say that so far, from what they're seeing, that voting has been incredible. They're describing all kinds of lines. And I'm sure, Soledad, we're going to be seeing lots of pictures of those soon.

O'BRIEN: Yes. It's clearly, Adaora, just the beginning of what will be a long day. Adaora Udoji in Canton, Ohio, for us this morning. Adaora, thanks -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, we're trying to track down the story out of Philadelphia. Apparently there has been a legal challenge launched by the Republicans against some of the polling stations down there in the Philadelphia area.

Still trying to work on details, but apparently some of the electronic voting machines already had votes put into the machines when the polling stations opened. That is the allegation, that's the report we're getting.

Jeff Toobin, our senior legal analyst, who's watching all of this for us, what are you hearing?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: It looks like we may have our first lawsuit of the day. Probably not our last, either. It's actually a very simple accusation and a simple explanation.

The accusation is, as you said, that there are votes already cast on the machine. That's what the Republicans are saying.

Democrats are saying, no, no, no, there were no votes cast on the machine. These machines simply keep track of every vote ever cast on the machine. HEMMER: So this would be from a previous election?

TOOBIN: From a previous election.

HEMMER: And maybe a mid-term election?

TOOBIN: A mid-term election. Simply keeping track of the total of votes, not assigning votes to any candidate, which would be improper.

HEMMER: Now, Democrats have apparently come back and explained why they believe this is the case, but I'm assuming there's a reset button on a machine like this. Do you know about that?

TOOBIN: You know what? I don't know. And actually, the good news about this challenge is that it seems fairly straight forward to resolve one way or the other.

HEMMER: How so?

TOOBIN: Because you can just look at the machine and see if votes were improperly cast on it, if there was an additional number on it when it opened. The only risk, of course, is by taking these machines out of circulation for the court challenge people are not able to vote or the lines get too long.

HEMMER: I mentioned the city of Philadelphia. Do you know how many precincts this affects or polling locations?

TOOBIN: I think it's just a handful. It's certainly not the whole city, by any means.

HEMMER: Here's my understanding. In Pennsylvania, electronic voting, seven counties, but 2,686 precincts. That's a lot of people who take advantage of this type of voting, 27 percent of registered voters in that state.

TOOBIN: And one of the things to keep an eye on as we think about Pennsylvania, which is obviously going to be a very important state, there are five different voting systems in use in Pennsylvania. That's a tremendous amount to keep track of. If we get into a recount situation -- and I don't want to jump the gun by any means -- but to recount those different systems is certainly going to be very difficult.

HEMMER: You mentioned five electronic mix (ph) systems, optical scan, the lever system and the punch card, too, still...

TOOBIN: A potpourri. That's right. We could be talking chads before the night is out.

HEMMER: Twenty-one electoral votes. Keep us posted.

TOOBIN: All right, man.

HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of Philly, OK? TOOBIN: Very good.

O'BRIEN: Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Believe it or not, other stories out there besides the election. Heidi Collins has a look at those other stories in the news.

Hey, Heidi. Good morning again.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And good morning to you, everyone.

"Now in the News," at least six people are dead after a car bombing in Baghdad near Iraq's Ministry of Education. At least eight others were injured in that blast. Police now are, of course, are investigating.

We could learn more about what's ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A diagnosis could be announced as early as tomorrow. For now, doctors remain silent, though, on Arafat's condition five days into his emergency treatment in France. According to wire reports, Palestinian officials say Arafat could remain hospitalized for weeks.

Back here in the United States, closing arguments set to resume next hour in the Scott Peterson case. The defense will deliver its closing arguments in the double murder trial.

Jurors heard from the prosecution yesterday. Lawyers portrayed Peterson as someone who was bored with his marriage and wanted to pursue life as a bachelor. Jury deliberations expected to begin tomorrow.

And some changes for a new NBA season. L.A. Lakers face off against the Denver Nuggets in the first game of the season tonight. Kobe Bryant has the spotlight now, without Shaq that is.

Shaquille O'Neal traded to Miami during the off-season, as you well know. Other games include defending champs, Detroit Pistons, host the Houston Rockets, and Sacramento plays Dallas. As you know, two top storing teams from last season, Bill.

HEMMER: You're right about that, Heidi. Thanks.

Thirteen past the hour. And what a day to start, though, on Election Day? Tip off the season?

You know what they say. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. When it comes to determining a winner in this year's presidential race, we're not taking any chances.

David Bohrman is CNN's executive producer in charge of our network's election coverage. And he's here to explain how we're doing it differently from four years ago.

Good morning. DAVID BOHRMAN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CNN ELECTION COVERAGE: Good morning.

HEMMER: You've had some long hours. Tell our viewers what is different four years later from 2000.

BOHRMAN: Well, there are a lot of differences. Fundamentally, there are differences in the way we're projecting races. And all the networks together are projecting races very differently.

The failures in 2000 were people failures, they were system failures. It was just across the board. The shared system that the networks use for exit poll information has completely gone away and been replaced by a system that CNN built two years ago in the 2002 election.

It's now called NEP. It's run by a couple of guys named Matofski (ph) and Lenski (ph). And we have a lot of confidence as just a baseline in that system that it was built to address the problems of 2000.

On top of that, CNN has put together a large group. We're calling it the Election Analysis Center. You'll be a part of that tonight in our coverage, where we have about 30 or so people there, political experts, research experts, statistical experts, university- grade statisticians, and Jeffrey Toobin, who was just here, a legal team. Because one thing we did learn in 2000, lawyers are now important in figuring out whether or not to call a race.

HEMMER: Oh, so true. So very true.

BOHRMAN: And so all those people will be together. They'll be looking at the -- at the real votes that are coming in, they'll be looking at the exit polls, and the standard for calling a race will be incredibly high.

HEMMER: Four years later, David, what do you think has been the impact on networks, like CNN and the others, ABC NBC, CBS, in terms of their approach to election night coverage? Is it -- is it, OK, we're going to a be a little more reticent when we go with something when the data does not marry itself to one another? Or is it more than that this time?

BOHRMAN: It's more than that. I mean, you almost want to call it a near death experience. But it was a failure, it was a total disaster.

So I think that we are all -- you know, basically there were good lessons to learn. You know, there was a little too much blind faith in the systems. And I think it was probably not a bad shock to broadcasting to learn those lessons.

I think tonight you'll see some races will be projected at poll closing, that there will be a vast chasm in other polls and exit polls and we will be able to project some states early. But the states that aren't far apart, all the states that are close, I think we will all be in a race not to be first, which is unlike any other election night.

We're going to be -- you know, none of us want to go up to Congress and explain why we did it wrong. So we're going to be checking all of our numbers and incredibly sure before anything...

HEMMER: Quickly, before we let you go here, the Nasdaq MarketSite, it looks wonderful, by the way. And when viewers tune in tonight, they're going to see a completely different range and production by CNN.

BOHRMAN: Right. It will be unlike any election night CNN has ever put together before. We've taken the 72 screens at the Nasdaq, and basically it's a liquid wall.

We can dynamically move information around, whether it's individual vote boards for every state, the big map, keep track of Senate races and House races, statistical analysis. We've even given Jeff Greenfield a wonderful little tool to where he can -- a war game, basically, and say, look, you need this state and this state and you get 269. But if you lose this and take this state, then you get 271. Sort of that arithmetic game that people were going on the back of envelopes four years ago.

HEMMER: Sure.

BOHRMAN: Jeff's going to be able to do it electronically.

HEMMER: When it comes to TV, covering elections, it's all about the graphics, trying to show and tell the viewers what's happening and what's moving. So it's going to be a wonderful night. Good luck to you, all right?

BOHRMAN: Thank you.

HEMMER: See you later.

BOHRMAN: Thanks.

HEMMER: David Bohrman here.

Our coverage starts, by the way, at 7:00 Eastern Time in prime time. All the real-time, real live events from the Nasdaq MarketSite. And our decision desk over at the Time Warner Center, complete comprehensive coverage for you later tonight, 7:00 Eastern Time it kicks off

Now Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's take to you Columbus, Ohio, if we can show you some pictures of the airplane.

President Bush has landed in Columbus, Ohio. Earlier he voted in Crawford, Texas, and then mentioned to reporters outside of his polling place that, in fact, he was going to go on to Ohio so that he could thank the many, many volunteers who come out to support him. Clearly it is Election Day, but it is still a day of campaigning not only for the president, but also John Kerry as well.

As we wait for the president to come down -- down the stairs on to the tarmac and continue his day in Columbus, Ohio. Time to turn now to the weather. Jacqui Jeras at the CNN Center for us with the latest forecast.

Obviously, Jacqui, weather is important on Election Day. Is it not?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it certainly is. And we do have wet weather for many people.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Jacqui. Thanks very much.

And let's take you back right now to Columbus, Ohio. As we mentioned, the president's plane has touched down. But we're waiting for the president to come out.

He has said, as we mentioned earlier, that he really came into Ohio to thank the numerous volunteers who have come out in fairly strong support for him in Ohio, clearly a contested state. It is going to be very, very close in Ohio, although some of the polls there showing Senator Kerry with a slight lead.

A big wildcard, though. In the polling is the number of voters that actually turn out. And as we heard from Jacqui, weather could be a factor in the election this year as well.

And there's Laura Bush and the president making their way down off the plane on to the tarmac to really continue with their morning. Had a busy morning this morning. He already has voted in Crawford, Texas, covered over 2,000 miles just yesterday within 19 hours.

The president had been to seven rallies, six states and now he continues on. He has said he's at peace with what happens and he believes the American public will do the right thing.

HEMMER: This is a late edition for a schedule, too. And many are suggesting that Laura Bush was the one who encouraged him to make one final stop in Columbus, Ohio. We saw him, what, three hours ago in Crawford, Texas, with his family?

At that time he said, "The issue in this election is who do you trust?" And he talked about the issues of war and peace dividing the country, as we have seen. And it's been suggested through so much polling that's been going on for months at this point.

But he says he feeds off the enthusiasm for the final campaign stops. And the Republicans have really been bragging about their get- out-the-vote effort in the state of Ohio. They say they have 90,000 volunteers to help get out the vote in that state alone.

Democrats come back and counter and say their system is much better than Republicans. But ultimately, as you mentioned, voter turnout always determines an election when it is this close.

O'BRIEN: We're going to, of course, continue to follow both candidates this morning because it's Election Day. But that doesn't mean that it is not another day to campaign. We know that Senator Kerry is actually going to cast his vote in Boston a little bit later today.

HEMMER: As the president heads back to his limousine, 20 electoral votes in Ohio. We have said time and time again no Republican wins the White House unless they win Ohio. So we'll follow that campaign stop.

President Bush and John Kerry running neck and neck. What about that third candidate? The "CROSSFIRE" gang looks at the Nader factor in a moment -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And a reminder. CNN's live prime-time election coverage from the Nasdaq MarketSite begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Lehigh, Pennsylvania -- Lehigh County, I should say, two hours west of New York City. Jason Carroll is on the scene there reporting a short time ago the lines are long. But they look like they're moving along OK.

So we'll keep you posted from there. Just want to give you a sample shot of what we're picking up across the country.

Election Day coverage continues. Want to get back to the CNN Center and our colleagues, Daryn Kagan and Rick Sanchez there.

Hey, guys. Good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot, Bill.

You know, this has been a tough and a bruising presidential race, has, according to many people, divided the nation. In fact, we're already seeing some of that this morning in some places.

KAGAN: That we are. What better way to get a better look and get some insight now from Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson from CNN's "CROSSFIRE," joining us live from New York City.

Good morning, gentlemen.

TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Good morning.

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Daryn, Rick, it's good to see you all.

KAGAN: Tucker, my first question is for you. And that is the news of the day.

We're already seeing our first lawsuit filed in Philadelphia, challenging some electronic voting there filed by Republicans. Now, back in 2000, when the Democrats when the to the courts, I've been told by some conservatives that was just the Democrats being sore losers. So what's the different now that the Republicans are going to the courts?

CARLSON: Well, no one's lost yet. So that's the main difference.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Look, I think all of this is going to be moot, irrelevant by the end of the day. I think we're going to see a definitive win one way or the other. And, you know, thank god.

Look, lawsuits are what you get when you have a tie, as we did in 2000. And the way to fix it is to elect a president with a mandate. And again, I think that's going to happen.

You know, the system has flaws, but ultimately you don't have too many ties. I mean, that was just -- that was just a profound anomaly, and it pointed out all the -- you know, the marginal problems with the system. But, you know, I don't think the lawsuit is going to amount to anything otherwise.

SANCHEZ: Paul, I want to ask you quickly about the Nader effect. Did you think that at the last minute, or maybe were you hopeful that Nader would just say, you know, I'm going to drop out maybe the day before in a big dramatic announcement?

BEGALA: No, Rick. I mean, I've talked to Ralph a lot. We've had him on "CROSSFIRE" a number of times.

I knew from the beginning -- in fact, before he announced -- I went out and had a cup of coffee with him, and I knew he was going to stay in this until the end. But I also had a very strong sense from the beginning that Nader's vote would collapse at the end. And I based that on looking at prior third party candidacies, particularly our predecessor on "CROSSFIRE," Pat Buchanan.

The first time Patrick ran he did quite well. The second time worse. And the third time down to a half of a percent. And that's where Ralph is going to be, I think, at the end of the day today.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but if the elections are close like they were in Florida, and he gets 500 votes there, he could change the outcome of the election.

BEGALA: He could. And that's just part of the burden John Kerry is going to have to bear. He's going to have to win by enough that a half a percent won't swing the election.

But, you know, that's his job. I think that what has happened is liberals who like Ralph dislike Bush more than they like Ralph. And I think that this time they're going to say, "Gee, there really is a difference between Kerry and Bush." Kerry does have better ideas on the corporate issues they care about, he's got better ideas on foreign policy issues. They're going to abandon Ralph, I think, today...

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: In other words, they're going to sell out. I mean, I have to say -- it's true. They agree with Ralph Nader on the war.

He's the only guy running who says, not only is it the wrong war, but we ought to do the logical thing and pull out. But they're going to vote for Kerry anyway, who's striking this kind of Bush-like pose on Iraq because they think it's going to help beat Bush.

I think they're going to regret it. I think they're going to regret spitting in the face of a man of principle like Ralph Nader. That's my personal opinion.

KAGAN: Hey, Tucker, two quick questions. When Paul Begala and Ralph Nader had coffee, who do you think bought?

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: I am positive that Paul bought. I saw -- I saw Ralph yesterday. Good man, frugal man. He's always in the same suit.

KAGAN: Frugal man, OK.

SANCHEZ: Any predictions, by the way, before we let you go?

BEGALA: I am a much better tipper than Ralph. Yes, I think, Rick -- I'll go out on a limb. I think Kerry will win, I think he'll win big. If turnout exceeds 60 percent, Kerry will win by 5.

SANCHEZ: Tucker?

CARLSON: Yes. I mean, I have to say, it makes me feel sad to say this, but I think the turnout and the intensity of a lot of voters, the hatred a lot of voters feel for Bush, makes me personally ill. I think it's unreasonable and kind of crazy. But I think it does help Kerry in the end.

KAGAN: All right.

BEGALA: But it feels good.

KAGAN: Just a little taste of what we're going to hear from you guys throughout the day. You guys have a great Election Day in New York City.

CARLSON: I hope you do, too. Thank you.

KAGAN: You can catch "CROSSFIRE" today and every day, James Carville, Paul Begala, Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson, every day 4:30 p.m. Eastern. SANCHEZ: And CNN is going to be going all night with election coverage, as you know. We're going to bring you the very latest from here.

KAGAN: And when you say late, we mean late. We'll be on from 2:00 a.m. Eastern until 5:00 a.m. We're going to have the latest election results for you. We're covering the key congressional races, as well as the big ballot initiatives. And a lot of those western races.

SANCHEZ: So you want to stay with CNN for complete election coverage right here. Now let's toss things back to New York.

Hey, guys.

HEMMER: I will be there with you overnight by the way.

KAGAN: Oh, you will?

HEMMER: In spirit and more, OK?

KAGAN: In snoring and more.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys.

Seven and a half hours from now the first polls will close. In a moment, checking on both campaigns, seeing how they are spending the remaining moments of this election.

Back in a moment here. Our special election coverage continues on this AMERICAN MORNING, Election Day 2004.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 2, 2004 - 11:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now they wait. A long, tense day ahead for George Bush and John Kerry after a long and exhausting campaign, while the voters hold the presidency in their hands, choosing the country's future on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. It's campaign day, Election Day 2004. 11:00 here in New York, 8:00 out in California. We are on today for five hours as our election coverage continues.

How you doing, by the way?

O'BRIEN: I'm doing great.

Jack, wake up.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, great.

HEMMER: Jack, soon it's going to be "AMERICAN AFTERNOON, " right?

CAFFERTY: Ask them -- ask them if we can stay on until 3:00 or 4:00, will you?

O'BRIEN: Sure. You want to stay on until 3:00 or 4:00?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I'm having a great time.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely.

I'm having a great time.

HEMMER: Well, the voting continues. We're on extended duty today here at CNN.

In a few moments, we'll go back to some of the -- some of the polling places around the country, checking in to see whether or not the voting can be called smooth or rocky or somewhere in between. Paul Begala is here, Tucker Carlson is here, talking about what they think is the biggest misstep of this campaign, maybe the biggest mistake that each side has made. So we'll talk to -- talk to the folks from "CROSSFIRE" this hour also.

O'BRIEN: Here's what everybody agrees on...

HEMMER: Yes?

O'BRIEN: It will be the one thing they agree on -- it's going to be close. The question is, why is the nation so divided? Why is it so close? We'll talk to Bill Schneider in just a moment about the unique factors that have produced an election that is as close as it is.

HEMMER: Good deal. He's been looking back into history. He can do that quite well.

Jack's back.

What's happening?

CAFFERTY: We're asking an e-mail question today about how you're going to react if your guy loses. Not only is the country divided, but they are passionately divided. The war on terror, the war in Iraq, all of these driving up emotions as we go to the election today.

And so if you're on the short end of this deal -- and about half of country will be -- what are you going to do about it? AM@CNN.com.

HEMMER: All right.

O'BRIEN: Jack, thanks.

Well, Americans are out in droves to vote this morning. And the president and the first lady were among them. They voted with their daughters in Crawford, Texas. The president saying he trusts the judgment of the American people.

We also saw Vice President Dick Cheney voting in his home state. Senator Kerry yet to vote this morning. We're told that he is, in fact, going to vote in Boston a little bit later on today.

Elsewhere, lines started forming before daybreak. In some places voters are waiting in the rain and cold to cast their ballots in this hotly-contested election. Both parties have been pushing to increase turnout among their supporters in a race where every vote might be critical.

Add Alaska to the list of states where voting is under way. Most polling stations are open now in 49 states. Hawaii the only state where the polls have yet to open.

CNN is counting down to the close of the polls.

Time to check in now, in fact, at some polling places where the voting is already under way. We've got reporters at locations in crucial swing states this morning. CNN's Adaora Udoji is in Canton, Ohio. Thelma Gutierrez is in Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver. And national correspondent Gary Tuchman in West Palm Beach, Florida, this morning.

Thelma, let's begin with you in Colorado, where the polls have opened most recently. Good morning.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

We're here outside of the Abu Bakar (ph) mosque, where 400 people have already cast their votes this morning. Four precincts are reporting here. And they're expecting about 3,000 people to show up and vote here today.

Now, inside the mosque, the lines are much shorter than they were earlier in the day. There are 12 touch-screen voting machines which have been controversial because there is no way to confirm how people have voted because there is no paper trail.

Now, Colorado is one state where people are required to show their identifications. Ex-cons here are also allowed to vote as long as they are not on parole. Now, those were issues that were brought up by the Republicans earlier.

Both parties here have poll watchers. The poll watchers have said that things are going very smoothly so far.

Now, election officials say that 30 percent of the state has already voted. Most of the polls show that Coloradoans are favoring George Bush. Now, already more than 500,000 people have voted absentee, another 375,000 voted early. And election officials say they have never seen anything like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA COREIN, COLORADO VOTER: I got here at 5:45 this morning. And I've learned from living in Colorado for 12 years that there are lines wherever you go. And I tried to early vote and got -- I missed out because of lines. So I didn't want to miss out this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Again, a very busy day here in Colorado. State officials are expecting between a 70 percent and 75 percent voter turnout today.

Soledad, back to you.

O'BRIEN: Thelma Gutierrez in Aurora, Colorado, which is just outside of Denver.

Let's check in now with national correspondent Gary Tuchman. As we mentioned, he's in West Palm Beach, Florida, this morning.

Gary, good morning.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.

If you're one of those people who don't think you want to vote because the lines will be too long, well take this as a case in point. Palm Beach County, Florida, the hotbed of political miscues in 2000, at this precinct there is no line whatsoever here in West Palm Beach. There are five touch-screen machines, and right now there's only one person using them.

The line is no longer than a line at the Dairy Queen drive-in window in the middle of the winter. There is no line whatsoever. There was a line early this morning, but nothing at all now. A decent turnout so far, but it's very easy to come in and vote.

One piece of news we want to tell you here, an interesting little headline. Provisional ballots a whole new thing for every state in the country after the problems in the year 2000.

People can fill out a provisional ballot if their name is not on the registration list. And then after the polls close they determine if that ballot will be counted.

Well, someone came in here today, first time voting from the country of Colombia. They just moved to the United States, their name was not registered. So they were going to get a provisional ballot.

But according to the county law, the people in each precinct have to call the supervisor of elections office to determine if it's OK to open the provisional ballot envelope. No one was answering at that office.

The person didn't feel like waiting. They left. And that's one vote that won't be counted in this election.

Soledad, back to you.

O'BRIEN: Gary Tuchman in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Let's go check in now in Canton, Ohio, which is where we find Adaora Udoji this morning.

Good morning to you.

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

We've seen a steady flow of folks voting at this polling station across the street there. County officials telling us so far a very heavy turnout.

Now, this is after all of the legal wrangling put to rest, the question of challengers, after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in a decision that was upholding Ohio law. Essentially, Republicans went to the Supreme Court and wanted a decision upheld, saying that in Ohio, that challengers would be allowed to go into the polling stations and challenge anyone's eligibility to vote.

Democrats had argued against it. They were concerned about suppression. Republicans say they were concerned about -- they are concerned about voter fraud.

But whatever the case, the bottom line is right now both Republicans and Democrats both have challengers in various polling stations across the state. It's not clear how many in the 88 counties. But at this point, we are hearing no reports of any problems. We spoke to Governor Taft on AMERICAN MORNING earlier and he said the court ruled in the right way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOB TAFT (R), OHIO: We're just trying to uphold Ohio law. It's the Democrats who have repeatedly gone into federal court to challenge longstanding Ohio law intended to uphold the accuracy and the integrity of our elections.

I think the concern is everyone should vote, absolutely. Very important. A civil right, and we're working to assure that right. At the same time, nobody particularly wants their vote to be canceled out by a voter who is not properly registered to vote where they're voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UDOJI: Now, Taft is predicting record turnouts. And that would be somewhere north of 70 percent.

We've also spoken to some of the get-out-the-vote advocates on the ground, American Coming Together and American Votes, both groups linked to Democrats. And they say that so far, from what they're seeing, that voting has been incredible. They're describing all kinds of lines. And I'm sure, Soledad, we're going to be seeing lots of pictures of those soon.

O'BRIEN: Yes. It's clearly, Adaora, just the beginning of what will be a long day. Adaora Udoji in Canton, Ohio, for us this morning. Adaora, thanks -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, we're trying to track down the story out of Philadelphia. Apparently there has been a legal challenge launched by the Republicans against some of the polling stations down there in the Philadelphia area.

Still trying to work on details, but apparently some of the electronic voting machines already had votes put into the machines when the polling stations opened. That is the allegation, that's the report we're getting.

Jeff Toobin, our senior legal analyst, who's watching all of this for us, what are you hearing?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: It looks like we may have our first lawsuit of the day. Probably not our last, either. It's actually a very simple accusation and a simple explanation.

The accusation is, as you said, that there are votes already cast on the machine. That's what the Republicans are saying.

Democrats are saying, no, no, no, there were no votes cast on the machine. These machines simply keep track of every vote ever cast on the machine. HEMMER: So this would be from a previous election?

TOOBIN: From a previous election.

HEMMER: And maybe a mid-term election?

TOOBIN: A mid-term election. Simply keeping track of the total of votes, not assigning votes to any candidate, which would be improper.

HEMMER: Now, Democrats have apparently come back and explained why they believe this is the case, but I'm assuming there's a reset button on a machine like this. Do you know about that?

TOOBIN: You know what? I don't know. And actually, the good news about this challenge is that it seems fairly straight forward to resolve one way or the other.

HEMMER: How so?

TOOBIN: Because you can just look at the machine and see if votes were improperly cast on it, if there was an additional number on it when it opened. The only risk, of course, is by taking these machines out of circulation for the court challenge people are not able to vote or the lines get too long.

HEMMER: I mentioned the city of Philadelphia. Do you know how many precincts this affects or polling locations?

TOOBIN: I think it's just a handful. It's certainly not the whole city, by any means.

HEMMER: Here's my understanding. In Pennsylvania, electronic voting, seven counties, but 2,686 precincts. That's a lot of people who take advantage of this type of voting, 27 percent of registered voters in that state.

TOOBIN: And one of the things to keep an eye on as we think about Pennsylvania, which is obviously going to be a very important state, there are five different voting systems in use in Pennsylvania. That's a tremendous amount to keep track of. If we get into a recount situation -- and I don't want to jump the gun by any means -- but to recount those different systems is certainly going to be very difficult.

HEMMER: You mentioned five electronic mix (ph) systems, optical scan, the lever system and the punch card, too, still...

TOOBIN: A potpourri. That's right. We could be talking chads before the night is out.

HEMMER: Twenty-one electoral votes. Keep us posted.

TOOBIN: All right, man.

HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of Philly, OK? TOOBIN: Very good.

O'BRIEN: Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Believe it or not, other stories out there besides the election. Heidi Collins has a look at those other stories in the news.

Hey, Heidi. Good morning again.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And good morning to you, everyone.

"Now in the News," at least six people are dead after a car bombing in Baghdad near Iraq's Ministry of Education. At least eight others were injured in that blast. Police now are, of course, are investigating.

We could learn more about what's ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A diagnosis could be announced as early as tomorrow. For now, doctors remain silent, though, on Arafat's condition five days into his emergency treatment in France. According to wire reports, Palestinian officials say Arafat could remain hospitalized for weeks.

Back here in the United States, closing arguments set to resume next hour in the Scott Peterson case. The defense will deliver its closing arguments in the double murder trial.

Jurors heard from the prosecution yesterday. Lawyers portrayed Peterson as someone who was bored with his marriage and wanted to pursue life as a bachelor. Jury deliberations expected to begin tomorrow.

And some changes for a new NBA season. L.A. Lakers face off against the Denver Nuggets in the first game of the season tonight. Kobe Bryant has the spotlight now, without Shaq that is.

Shaquille O'Neal traded to Miami during the off-season, as you well know. Other games include defending champs, Detroit Pistons, host the Houston Rockets, and Sacramento plays Dallas. As you know, two top storing teams from last season, Bill.

HEMMER: You're right about that, Heidi. Thanks.

Thirteen past the hour. And what a day to start, though, on Election Day? Tip off the season?

You know what they say. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. When it comes to determining a winner in this year's presidential race, we're not taking any chances.

David Bohrman is CNN's executive producer in charge of our network's election coverage. And he's here to explain how we're doing it differently from four years ago.

Good morning. DAVID BOHRMAN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CNN ELECTION COVERAGE: Good morning.

HEMMER: You've had some long hours. Tell our viewers what is different four years later from 2000.

BOHRMAN: Well, there are a lot of differences. Fundamentally, there are differences in the way we're projecting races. And all the networks together are projecting races very differently.

The failures in 2000 were people failures, they were system failures. It was just across the board. The shared system that the networks use for exit poll information has completely gone away and been replaced by a system that CNN built two years ago in the 2002 election.

It's now called NEP. It's run by a couple of guys named Matofski (ph) and Lenski (ph). And we have a lot of confidence as just a baseline in that system that it was built to address the problems of 2000.

On top of that, CNN has put together a large group. We're calling it the Election Analysis Center. You'll be a part of that tonight in our coverage, where we have about 30 or so people there, political experts, research experts, statistical experts, university- grade statisticians, and Jeffrey Toobin, who was just here, a legal team. Because one thing we did learn in 2000, lawyers are now important in figuring out whether or not to call a race.

HEMMER: Oh, so true. So very true.

BOHRMAN: And so all those people will be together. They'll be looking at the -- at the real votes that are coming in, they'll be looking at the exit polls, and the standard for calling a race will be incredibly high.

HEMMER: Four years later, David, what do you think has been the impact on networks, like CNN and the others, ABC NBC, CBS, in terms of their approach to election night coverage? Is it -- is it, OK, we're going to a be a little more reticent when we go with something when the data does not marry itself to one another? Or is it more than that this time?

BOHRMAN: It's more than that. I mean, you almost want to call it a near death experience. But it was a failure, it was a total disaster.

So I think that we are all -- you know, basically there were good lessons to learn. You know, there was a little too much blind faith in the systems. And I think it was probably not a bad shock to broadcasting to learn those lessons.

I think tonight you'll see some races will be projected at poll closing, that there will be a vast chasm in other polls and exit polls and we will be able to project some states early. But the states that aren't far apart, all the states that are close, I think we will all be in a race not to be first, which is unlike any other election night.

We're going to be -- you know, none of us want to go up to Congress and explain why we did it wrong. So we're going to be checking all of our numbers and incredibly sure before anything...

HEMMER: Quickly, before we let you go here, the Nasdaq MarketSite, it looks wonderful, by the way. And when viewers tune in tonight, they're going to see a completely different range and production by CNN.

BOHRMAN: Right. It will be unlike any election night CNN has ever put together before. We've taken the 72 screens at the Nasdaq, and basically it's a liquid wall.

We can dynamically move information around, whether it's individual vote boards for every state, the big map, keep track of Senate races and House races, statistical analysis. We've even given Jeff Greenfield a wonderful little tool to where he can -- a war game, basically, and say, look, you need this state and this state and you get 269. But if you lose this and take this state, then you get 271. Sort of that arithmetic game that people were going on the back of envelopes four years ago.

HEMMER: Sure.

BOHRMAN: Jeff's going to be able to do it electronically.

HEMMER: When it comes to TV, covering elections, it's all about the graphics, trying to show and tell the viewers what's happening and what's moving. So it's going to be a wonderful night. Good luck to you, all right?

BOHRMAN: Thank you.

HEMMER: See you later.

BOHRMAN: Thanks.

HEMMER: David Bohrman here.

Our coverage starts, by the way, at 7:00 Eastern Time in prime time. All the real-time, real live events from the Nasdaq MarketSite. And our decision desk over at the Time Warner Center, complete comprehensive coverage for you later tonight, 7:00 Eastern Time it kicks off

Now Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's take to you Columbus, Ohio, if we can show you some pictures of the airplane.

President Bush has landed in Columbus, Ohio. Earlier he voted in Crawford, Texas, and then mentioned to reporters outside of his polling place that, in fact, he was going to go on to Ohio so that he could thank the many, many volunteers who come out to support him. Clearly it is Election Day, but it is still a day of campaigning not only for the president, but also John Kerry as well.

As we wait for the president to come down -- down the stairs on to the tarmac and continue his day in Columbus, Ohio. Time to turn now to the weather. Jacqui Jeras at the CNN Center for us with the latest forecast.

Obviously, Jacqui, weather is important on Election Day. Is it not?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it certainly is. And we do have wet weather for many people.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Jacqui. Thanks very much.

And let's take you back right now to Columbus, Ohio. As we mentioned, the president's plane has touched down. But we're waiting for the president to come out.

He has said, as we mentioned earlier, that he really came into Ohio to thank the numerous volunteers who have come out in fairly strong support for him in Ohio, clearly a contested state. It is going to be very, very close in Ohio, although some of the polls there showing Senator Kerry with a slight lead.

A big wildcard, though. In the polling is the number of voters that actually turn out. And as we heard from Jacqui, weather could be a factor in the election this year as well.

And there's Laura Bush and the president making their way down off the plane on to the tarmac to really continue with their morning. Had a busy morning this morning. He already has voted in Crawford, Texas, covered over 2,000 miles just yesterday within 19 hours.

The president had been to seven rallies, six states and now he continues on. He has said he's at peace with what happens and he believes the American public will do the right thing.

HEMMER: This is a late edition for a schedule, too. And many are suggesting that Laura Bush was the one who encouraged him to make one final stop in Columbus, Ohio. We saw him, what, three hours ago in Crawford, Texas, with his family?

At that time he said, "The issue in this election is who do you trust?" And he talked about the issues of war and peace dividing the country, as we have seen. And it's been suggested through so much polling that's been going on for months at this point.

But he says he feeds off the enthusiasm for the final campaign stops. And the Republicans have really been bragging about their get- out-the-vote effort in the state of Ohio. They say they have 90,000 volunteers to help get out the vote in that state alone.

Democrats come back and counter and say their system is much better than Republicans. But ultimately, as you mentioned, voter turnout always determines an election when it is this close.

O'BRIEN: We're going to, of course, continue to follow both candidates this morning because it's Election Day. But that doesn't mean that it is not another day to campaign. We know that Senator Kerry is actually going to cast his vote in Boston a little bit later today.

HEMMER: As the president heads back to his limousine, 20 electoral votes in Ohio. We have said time and time again no Republican wins the White House unless they win Ohio. So we'll follow that campaign stop.

President Bush and John Kerry running neck and neck. What about that third candidate? The "CROSSFIRE" gang looks at the Nader factor in a moment -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And a reminder. CNN's live prime-time election coverage from the Nasdaq MarketSite begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Lehigh, Pennsylvania -- Lehigh County, I should say, two hours west of New York City. Jason Carroll is on the scene there reporting a short time ago the lines are long. But they look like they're moving along OK.

So we'll keep you posted from there. Just want to give you a sample shot of what we're picking up across the country.

Election Day coverage continues. Want to get back to the CNN Center and our colleagues, Daryn Kagan and Rick Sanchez there.

Hey, guys. Good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot, Bill.

You know, this has been a tough and a bruising presidential race, has, according to many people, divided the nation. In fact, we're already seeing some of that this morning in some places.

KAGAN: That we are. What better way to get a better look and get some insight now from Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson from CNN's "CROSSFIRE," joining us live from New York City.

Good morning, gentlemen.

TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Good morning.

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Daryn, Rick, it's good to see you all.

KAGAN: Tucker, my first question is for you. And that is the news of the day.

We're already seeing our first lawsuit filed in Philadelphia, challenging some electronic voting there filed by Republicans. Now, back in 2000, when the Democrats when the to the courts, I've been told by some conservatives that was just the Democrats being sore losers. So what's the different now that the Republicans are going to the courts?

CARLSON: Well, no one's lost yet. So that's the main difference.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Look, I think all of this is going to be moot, irrelevant by the end of the day. I think we're going to see a definitive win one way or the other. And, you know, thank god.

Look, lawsuits are what you get when you have a tie, as we did in 2000. And the way to fix it is to elect a president with a mandate. And again, I think that's going to happen.

You know, the system has flaws, but ultimately you don't have too many ties. I mean, that was just -- that was just a profound anomaly, and it pointed out all the -- you know, the marginal problems with the system. But, you know, I don't think the lawsuit is going to amount to anything otherwise.

SANCHEZ: Paul, I want to ask you quickly about the Nader effect. Did you think that at the last minute, or maybe were you hopeful that Nader would just say, you know, I'm going to drop out maybe the day before in a big dramatic announcement?

BEGALA: No, Rick. I mean, I've talked to Ralph a lot. We've had him on "CROSSFIRE" a number of times.

I knew from the beginning -- in fact, before he announced -- I went out and had a cup of coffee with him, and I knew he was going to stay in this until the end. But I also had a very strong sense from the beginning that Nader's vote would collapse at the end. And I based that on looking at prior third party candidacies, particularly our predecessor on "CROSSFIRE," Pat Buchanan.

The first time Patrick ran he did quite well. The second time worse. And the third time down to a half of a percent. And that's where Ralph is going to be, I think, at the end of the day today.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but if the elections are close like they were in Florida, and he gets 500 votes there, he could change the outcome of the election.

BEGALA: He could. And that's just part of the burden John Kerry is going to have to bear. He's going to have to win by enough that a half a percent won't swing the election.

But, you know, that's his job. I think that what has happened is liberals who like Ralph dislike Bush more than they like Ralph. And I think that this time they're going to say, "Gee, there really is a difference between Kerry and Bush." Kerry does have better ideas on the corporate issues they care about, he's got better ideas on foreign policy issues. They're going to abandon Ralph, I think, today...

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: In other words, they're going to sell out. I mean, I have to say -- it's true. They agree with Ralph Nader on the war.

He's the only guy running who says, not only is it the wrong war, but we ought to do the logical thing and pull out. But they're going to vote for Kerry anyway, who's striking this kind of Bush-like pose on Iraq because they think it's going to help beat Bush.

I think they're going to regret it. I think they're going to regret spitting in the face of a man of principle like Ralph Nader. That's my personal opinion.

KAGAN: Hey, Tucker, two quick questions. When Paul Begala and Ralph Nader had coffee, who do you think bought?

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: I am positive that Paul bought. I saw -- I saw Ralph yesterday. Good man, frugal man. He's always in the same suit.

KAGAN: Frugal man, OK.

SANCHEZ: Any predictions, by the way, before we let you go?

BEGALA: I am a much better tipper than Ralph. Yes, I think, Rick -- I'll go out on a limb. I think Kerry will win, I think he'll win big. If turnout exceeds 60 percent, Kerry will win by 5.

SANCHEZ: Tucker?

CARLSON: Yes. I mean, I have to say, it makes me feel sad to say this, but I think the turnout and the intensity of a lot of voters, the hatred a lot of voters feel for Bush, makes me personally ill. I think it's unreasonable and kind of crazy. But I think it does help Kerry in the end.

KAGAN: All right.

BEGALA: But it feels good.

KAGAN: Just a little taste of what we're going to hear from you guys throughout the day. You guys have a great Election Day in New York City.

CARLSON: I hope you do, too. Thank you.

KAGAN: You can catch "CROSSFIRE" today and every day, James Carville, Paul Begala, Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson, every day 4:30 p.m. Eastern. SANCHEZ: And CNN is going to be going all night with election coverage, as you know. We're going to bring you the very latest from here.

KAGAN: And when you say late, we mean late. We'll be on from 2:00 a.m. Eastern until 5:00 a.m. We're going to have the latest election results for you. We're covering the key congressional races, as well as the big ballot initiatives. And a lot of those western races.

SANCHEZ: So you want to stay with CNN for complete election coverage right here. Now let's toss things back to New York.

Hey, guys.

HEMMER: I will be there with you overnight by the way.

KAGAN: Oh, you will?

HEMMER: In spirit and more, OK?

KAGAN: In snoring and more.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys.

Seven and a half hours from now the first polls will close. In a moment, checking on both campaigns, seeing how they are spending the remaining moments of this election.

Back in a moment here. Our special election coverage continues on this AMERICAN MORNING, Election Day 2004.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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