Recently Watched: Recount

Recount directed by Jay Roach — Remember the long past 2000 election in which we waited weeks to hear a verdict? This HBO film tells the story of what went on behind the scenes, while I was busy being a depressed freshman in college who hardly noticed that there was an election crisis on our hands. If, like me, you have vague memories of what transpired during those two months, this film is a must-see. The cast includes Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, John Hurt, and Denis Leary, among others, and Jay Roach was also behind popular projects like “Borat”, “Meet the Parents,” “Austin Powers” and more. 

In addition to telling the story of this historical election, the film raises the controversial issue of election fraud, one which, coincidentally, as been discussed at length over the course of the past eight years and, more recently, in a Rolling Stone article titled “Block the Vote.” In 2002, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed in order to remedy the errors of the 2000 election. The goals of HAVA are, according to Wikipedia,

• replace punch card voting systems;
• create the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of Federal elections; and
• establish minimum election administration standards.

When nearly two million ballots were discarded in 2000 (because they registered more than one vote, or no vote at all, when passed through the ballot reader), HAVA was created to give the American public peace of mind. However, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast have determined in their article, 

…thanks to new provisions of the Help America Vote Act, the number of discounted votes could surge even higher…HAVA was corrupted by the involvement of Republican superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, who worked to cram the bill with favors for his clients…In practice, many of the “reforms” created by HAVA have actually made it harder for citizens to cast a ballot and have their vote counted. In case after case, Republican election officials at the local and state level have used the rules to give GOP candidates an edge on Election Day by creating new barriers to registration, purging legitimate names from voter rolls, challenging voters at the polls and discarding valid ballots.

“Recount” provides a look at the inescapable reality buried deep within our government and, unfortunately, the possibility that corruption and fraud are systemic truths. Perhaps, on certain occasions, your vote doesn’t count, despite the election rhetoric we have all grown accustomed to. Perhaps, no matter who wins today’s historical presidential race, the United States will face four years with a leader not chosen by the people, but by the system itself.