"Voting is foundational to our democracy," Margaret Hoover, host of FIRING LINE said. "But our democracy is compromised, as is the very act of voting, if voters doubt the integrity of voting systems. In this special, I set out to uncover what practices can genuinely help to restore trust in how we cast and count our ballots."
COUNTING THE VOTE begins by revisiting the contentious Bush v Gore election of 2000, which was effectively decided by the Supreme Court after a 5-4 decision halted the recount. Hoover speaks to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush about the subsequent bipartisan election reforms that made the state a model for the rest of the nation.
"Rather than do what now sadly happens more often than not in politics, which is we yap at each other and yell at each other and blame the other team, we reformed it in Florida in a bipartisan way, and I'm really proud of that," Bush says in the special.
Hoover then explores key 2020 battleground states that will be critical again in 2024, assessing what has changed—and what has not—since former President Donald Trump and his supporters rejected the election results four years ago.
"In 2020, it was not really a close election, so that is categorically different in all major ways from what happened in 2000," says longtime Republican election attorney Benjamin Ginsberg, who testified to the Jan. 6th Committee. "There was no credible evidence of fraud produced by the Trump campaign or his supporters."
Among the findings in COUNTING THE VOTE: 100 percent of the battleground states will use paper ballots and offer vote-by-mail options, but processing times will vary significantly depending in large part on whether states allow preprocessing of absentee ballots.
"The vote count in November is expected to undergo unprecedented scrutiny," says Alyssa Litoff, the film's director and executive producer. "Election officials provided us with an inside look at their processes before the vote count, believing that transparency is the best way to counter disinformation."
"PBS is proud to present this program as part of our commitment to extensive, thoughtful, and all-encompassing looks at the 2024 election," said Margaret Ebrahim, Senior Director, Programming & Development, General Audience Programming at PBS. "This powerful film carries on the PBS tradition of thoughtful storytelling, in this case looking closer at the core civic function of voting. We are excited to share this with audiences as viewers are actively thinking about elections in their local communities and the national stage."
Hoover speaks with elected officials on both sides of the aisle, as well as experts, who affirm the integrity of elections, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and COO Gabriel Sterling, both Republicans.
"Our elections are the most secure in the world," says Sterling, a comment that has already generated heated debate on X and been viewed more than 180,000 times. "But people who don't necessarily want to believe it can be easily exploited by those who can gain from it financially and politically."
Hoover also speaks with voters and officials who raise doubts about processes, including Arizona congressional candidate Abraham Hamadeh and Norm Shinkle, a former member of the Michigan Board of Canvassers.
Shinkle nearly created a crisis in Michigan in 2020 when he abstained from the vote to certify Biden's win because he wanted more time to investigate.
"Generally speaking, my gut feeling is that there was fraud, but we can't prove it," he tells Hoover.
COUNTING THE VOTE also visits North Carolina and returns to Florida, where Republican legislatures have passed restrictive new measures despite a successful and secure 2020 election.
"The irony is that there are people wanting to restrict absentee ballot access," says Bush of the changes in Florida, noting the Republican Party in the state grew after no-excuse absentee voting was implemented in 2001. "We dominated absentee ballot because we were better organized."
A bipartisan consensus remains among many voices featured in the documentary that the vote count this fall will be accurate—regardless of the outcome.
"It doesn't matter to me who people vote for, where they vote, how early they vote," says Scott Krug, a Republican in the Wisconsin State Assembly. "I just want them to know that it's free, fair, and safe."
David Becker, founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, adds, "I'm very confident that the legitimate winner of the election will have their hand on the Bible on January 20th, 2025. What I am worried about is the period of time between November 5th and January 20th, where lies about the election could incite supporters of the loser, who've been told time and time again that the winner is a threat to democracy, on either side, and that could lead to violence in that two and a half month period."
COUNTING THE VOTE is produced by The Documentary Group. Margaret Hoover, Alyssa Litoff, and Tom Yellin serve as executive producers. Margaret Ebrahim is the executive in charge for PBS.
COUNTING THE VOTE was made possible by Robert Granieri, The WNET Group's Preserving Democracy initiative, and PBS viewers.
About Margaret Hoover
Margaret Hoover is the host of PBS' Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, a revival of the television series hosted by William F. Buckley Jr. for 33 years. Hoover is a bestselling author, strategist and political commentator whose experience includes serving on the White House staff of President George W. Bush, on Capitol Hill and on two presidential campaigns. She is the President of American Unity Fund, a political organization focused on achieving full freedom and equality for LGBT Americans.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS's broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.
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SOURCE Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
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