TV networks delay election call to avoid another fiasco
TV networks, which twice had to make embarrassing retractions during coverage of the battle between George Bush and Al Gore, are being more cautious in their reporting of the tense clash over control for the US Congress.
Projected results about whether the Republicans have picked up the one seat they need to seize power in the Senate are not expected until the early hours.
“The watchword is: Make sure we’re accurate before we’re first’,” said a spokeswoman for NBC News.
Flawed exit-poll data was widely blamed for the Florida projection debacle in 2000.
Technical glitches with new electronic voting machines could also delay the result.
Experts have warned that much of the hi-tech equipment brought in to try to avoid the confusions in Florida could have teething troubles.
Election monitors are in place in 14 states where the result is expected to be very close.
The race for six Senate seats was neck and neck as voters went to the polls, the tightest it has been since Dwight Eisenhower was president in the early 1950s.
If Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu fails to get over 50% of the vote in Louisiana, she will be forced into a run off with the highest polling Republican rival, pushing back the final result on which party runs the Senate until December.
A third of Senate seats, 35 state governorships and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs in yesterday’s vote.
Historically, the party holding the White House usually loses seats in midterm elections.
But Republicans hope that support for Mr Bush, who has campaigned in 15 states in the last five days, could buck the trend.
If they gain one Senate seat it would give the White House a free rein to push through its legislation for the next two years.
This would enable Mr Bush to pass judiciary nominations, including appointing conservative judges for the Supreme Court, and pursue his tax-cut plan.
It could also affect legislation relating to the war on terrorism and Iraq.
The Republican party already controls the House of Representatives by seven seats, and polls indicate it may increase its majority.
Republicans are counting on voters who worry about the nation’s security, while Democrats seek to attract those angered by the economic downturn.
Another closely watched showdown is taking place in Florida, where the president’s brother, Jeb, is facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Bill McBride.
Former Vice President Al Gore has been campaigning for Mr McBride in an attempt to seek revenge on the Florida Republican party that many Democrats believe cheated them out of the Presidency two years ago.
The mid-term campaign has been the most expensive in history with the two sides collecting £270 million in direct contributions to candidates, a 43% rise on the 1998 mid-term elections, a report from the Federal Election Commission said.
Despite the barrage of slick advertisements, mass mailings and even recorded messages on mobile phones, it is expected that only one-third of those eligible to vote are expected to turn out.
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