And if Florida isn't decided (or the results have not been certified -- possibly via an injunction) by Dec. 18th, the winner of the Electoral College will be Al Gore, who currently has the majority.

He doesn't need 270 to win ... just the majority of the certified ballots at the time of the meeting of the Electoral College. As per the law, as espoused in the NY Times yesterday. I just is a matter of what OTHER states haven't been certified -- New Mexico's back in the mix.


>Hey all,
>
>Just thought some of you might be interested in my Letter to the Editor, which was published in this morning's Atlanta Constitution:
>
>Electoral College is only valid measure
>
>Assuming that George W. Bush keeps the electoral win, we'll be hearing that Gore's popular vote victory means that he was America's choice for president. That is totally bogus.
>
>The campaign strategies, allocation of resources, turnout efforts and advertising were highly targeted because of the Electoral College system. But, if the election had been held under a popular vote system, different strategies would have been used [edited out: and the final numbers would have been different].
>
>Voters in lopsided states might have turned out in even greater intensity, since every vote in those states would count just as much as anyone else's. Battleground states would give way to a battleground nation. Overall voter turnout would likely be higher.
>
>The campaigns were strategized and voters motivated under the Electoral College rules.
>
>Therefore, for this election, the electoral vote is the only valid measurement of America's choice.
>
>David Stevenson
>Stevenson, of Doraville, is a computer consultant.