But the devil is in the details, and without a governor's signature, six days go by. On the seventh day, it's official -- which is still time for the great electoral count of Dec. 18; but the whole process is a little unsteady on its feet pending action by the Supreme Court of the United States.
On what issue? Basically, on the sovereignty of the Legislature of the state of Florida, given that, under the Constitution, electors are to be appointed "in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct."
Nobody is around charging that the Florida balloting officials were withholding votes from blacks, Hispanics, women, illiterates or anybody entitled to vote under federal voting-rights laws. The U.S. Supreme Court is being implored, on the contrary, to interpret the intercession of the Florida state courts as an interruption of legal (and of course, constitutional) activity by the state to issue and pursue its own declarations having to do with election procedures. The Supreme Court's proper role here is to say: The Florida Legislature has the right to declare the circumstances in which the secretary of state may appoint electoral victors. If Florida wants to move into the new year with impeachment proceedings directed against sitting judges, or for that matter against legislators, they are free to go ahead, but should not interrupt the casting of electoral votes for the U.S. presidency on Dec. 18.
But let us hope that someday, before the end of the next century, a great big bonfire will be lighted, perhaps by the National Brotherhood of Electoral Epistemologists, and casket after casket of sealed ballots will be cremated. Otherwise we will have continuing history on the order of what sprang from the pistol found on Sacco and Vanzetti. Another Woodstock typewriter used by Alger Hiss. Another grassy knoll behind which the true killer of JFK hid. At least the nut-chaser, in this case, would face the job of hand-counting a million or so ballots, and where would he/she publish the findings, besides The Nation magazine? And who would believe them? The same readers.