Oklahomans weigh-in on presidential standoff

Oklahomans had differing opinions on the presidential election, but seemed to agree that the certification of Florida's vote totals doesn't necessarily signal an end to the disputed outcome.

Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified her state's vote results Sunday evening, nearly three weeks after the election. The certified count showed Texas Gov. George W. Bush having 537 more votes than Vice President Al Gore.

Gore plans to appeal on Monday, and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Friday on whether the hand recount in Florida was legal.

Joshua Stockton, a University of Oklahoma student majoring in political science, said the recounting of votes the past 19 days in Florida and the Electoral College system used to select presidents is "nuts."

The will of the people should determine the president, Stockton said while in the Bricktown section of downtown Oklahoma City on Sunday.

"The fact that this had to happen is a travesty," he said.

"It is time for reform."

In Tulsa, Mary Clinard, a student at the University of Tulsa, said enough is enough.

"I think it should be over with. It's turning into a joke,"

Clinard said.

She and her friends supported Bush, but they admitted that it will be tough for either Bush or Gore to serve as president after the close election and controversial recounts.

"I feel sorry for whoever gets to be president, because this is always going to be on their shoulders," said Carla Russell, another TU student.

Rich Gradel, Tulsa County's Republican Party chairman, said the results could still change after a review by the U.S. Supreme Court. But he said the certification from Florida adds legitimacy to Bush's claim for the presidency.

U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., also siding with Bush, accused Democrats of trying to hijack the results.

"I hope Al Gore will have the integrity and decency to put the country ahead of his temper tantrums and lose graciously," Watts said through a spokesman on Sunday.

But State Rep. Mike Mass, D-Hartshorne, who is chairman of the state Democratic Party, said Gore is considering more than his own interests in challenging Florida's vote totals.

Still, Mass said he hopes the certification signals an end to the wrangling.

"I will always believe that Al Gore should have won Florida.

However, we can't undo it, and we can't redo it without having another vote. So I think we should move forward," Mass said.

He said the nation's election process is a great one, but said some voting procedures should change. That's something he and Gradel could agree on.

"The one issue that's survived this election is the issue of the integrity of our election process," Gradel said. "We need to fix things."

Gov. Frank Keating held a press conference at the Governor's Mansion minutes after Bush addressed the nation about 8:30 p.m.

"It was a close election, and it shows we are schizophrenic as a people," Keating said. "Half of us wanted Al Gore and half wanted Bush."

Keating spent Saturday as a Bush observer in the Florida recounting of votes. He said he saw "lots of votes for Mr. Gore"

during the counting of absentee ballots in Broward County.

Keating's expenses were paid for by the Bush campaign, he said.