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'537 Votes': Release date, plot, trailer and all you need to know about HBO docu on 2000 presidential election

Miami native Billy Corben was looking for ways to increase voter turnout in 2020 and a lengthy thinking process led him to make the documentary

BY NEETHA K

PUBLISHED OCT 2, 2020

In 2000, the race to elect the 43rd President of the United States became the closest in the country's history and was marred by a counting dispute in Florida. Florida, a swing state, had a major recount dispute that took center stage in the election. The outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election was not known for more than a month after balloting because of the extended process of counting and recounting Florida's presidential ballots. It was only in December that year that George W Bush won Florida’s electoral votes by a margin of only 537 votes out of almost six million cast which led to him getting a majority of votes in the Electoral College and therefore, victory in the presidential election, defeating Al Gore.

Miami native Billy Corben was looking for ways to increase voter turnout in 2020 and a lengthy thinking process led him to make the documentary on the Florida fiasco in 2000 that triggered calls for electoral reform in the state. Titled '537 Votes', the documentary will air on HBO in October. Read on to know more about '537 Votes'.

Release date

'537 Votes' will premiere on HBO on Wednesday, October 21, at 9/8c. The documentary will be available to stream on HBO Max from the next day.

Plot

The documentary chronicles the political machinations that led to the unprecedented, contested outcome of the 2000 presidential election, including the chaotic voter recount in Florida that ended with George W Bush winning by a razor-thin margin.

In early 2000, the international custody battle over a six-year-old Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez, triggered a political earthquake in the swing state of Florida, ultimately swaying the outcome of the presidential election. With Miami's largely conservative Cuban American population outraged at the Clinton administration's handling of the repatriation of Gonzalez, many called for "el voto castigo:" the punishment vote, to harm vice-president Al Gore's chances at the ballot box. With the margin of victory hinged on Florida, Bush won the presidency.

With new insights, the documentary exposes the key players who contributed to the chaos in the contested Florida county, including interviews from insiders and political operatives at the time such as Roger Stone, Joe Geller, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party, and Al Cárdenas, chairman of the Florida Republican Party.

The documentary pulls back the curtain on a momentous episode in electoral politics, revealing that it was more than just faulty ballots that impacted such a decisive episode of American history. An eye-opening look at the presidential election that had far-reaching global repercussions and set the tone for the future of partisan politics in the United States, the film gives an entirely new perspective on political hustle and hype. It is a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks voting doesn't matter and a sobering look at what it takes to make sure every vote is counted.

Director/Producers

'537 Votes' is directed by Billy Corben ('Screwball', 'The U') and produced by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Corben and Alfred Spellman. The film is executive produced by Emmy and Academy Award-winner Adam McKay ('The Big Short', HBO's 'Succession') and Todd Schulman.