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Both Biden and Trump Campaigns are hiring armies of lawyers, just in case there are problems similar to the 2000 election when results weren’t official for five weeks. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the legal battle twenty years ago had already begun before the sun came up the day after the election.

Just after 5am on the morning after the 2000 election, the legal battle was already beginning. Frank Jimenez, the Governor’s top lawyer voice concerns to the State Elections Director about the then Democratic Attorney General.

“The AG is trying to hijack this process” said he Governor’s lawyer.

Attorney Barry Richard got the call at 6am from the Bush Campaign asking him to represent them.

“This year and ever since then, as a  matter of fact, the Presidential campaigns have either had legal teams in place all the time, or have put them in place well before the election.” 

Mark Herron’s phone rang even earlier. 

”I got a call about one AM” he told us. 

He became Al Gore’s attorney and is again working for Democrats.

”I can’t tell you what I’m doing.”

But Herron believes the fight will be over thousands of mail ballots.

“Not withstanding it says you are supposed to sign the ballot, they may print their name as opposed to sign it. That kind of invalidates that ballot unless there is a cure affidavit that can be filed within the period two days after the election.  It’s just gonna be, I think that’s where the battle is going to be.”

We asked Secretary of State Laurel Lee if 2020 could indeed be a repeat of 2000 in  Florida.

“We’re known for close elections” she told us, adding “But we are prepared to meet those challenges is they arise.”

But on that first morning after, no one we talked to, including then Governor Jeb Bush, imagined how the next five weeks would play out.

“There are no problems. The law takes care of all of this” Bush told us as he returned from Austin, Texas where he watched the results with his family.

And then the lawyers came.

Earlier this week, more than 12 thousand mail in ballots had already been flagged for signature problems. By state law, Supervisors must send voters a letter telling them of the problem.