<P> On election night , it was unclear who had won , with the electoral votes of the state of Florida still undecided . The returns showed that Bush had won Florida by such a close margin that state law required a recount . A month - long series of legal battles led to the contentious , 5 -- 4 Supreme Court decision of Bush v. Gore , which ended the recount . With the end of the recount , Bush won Florida by a margin of . 009 % , or 537 votes . The Florida recount and subsequent litigation resulted in a major post-election controversy , and various individuals and organizations have speculated about who would have won the election in various scenarios . Ultimately , Bush won 271 electoral votes , one more than was necessary for the majority , and narrowly lost the popular vote to Gore . </P>
<P> On election night , it was unclear who had won , with the electoral votes of the state of Florida still undecided . The returns showed that Bush had won Florida by such a close margin that state law required a recount . A month - long series of legal battles led to the contentious , 5 -- 4 Supreme Court decision of Bush v. Gore , which ended the recount . With the end of the recount , Bush won Florida by a margin of . 009 % , or 537 votes . The Florida recount and subsequent litigation resulted in a major post-election controversy , and various individuals and organizations have speculated about who would have won the election in various scenarios . Ultimately , Bush won 271 electoral votes , one more than was necessary for the majority , and narrowly lost the popular vote to Gore . </P>
the 2000 presidential election was determined by the contested results of
the 2000 presidential election was determined by the contested results of
the electoral votes of the state of Florida
the electoral votes of the state of Florida