Elections: Was the 2000 Presidential Election Fair? An Analysis of Comparative and Retrospective Survey Data

This research note reviews American National Election Studies data from 1996, 2000, and 2002 regarding the fairness of recent presidential elections. The findings from 1996 indicate that even in the face of a normal undisputed presidential election, Americans did not rate the fairness of their election particularly high compared to citizens of other established democracies. And in the shadow of the contested outcome of the 2000 American presidential race, complaints were rampant. In 2002, lingering bitterness about the election remained strong, and the patterns of opinion on this question had hardened along party lines.