A peaceful but boisterous crowd waving banners and shouting taunts held vigil in a courtyard at the Florida state capitol yesterday as officials prepared to make an announcement about the certification of the state's pivotal presidential election results.
Herded behind a rope line outside a state Senate office building used by the media, several hundred supporters of Governor George W. Bush and Vice-President Al Gore grew increasingly impatient as a 5 p.m. EST vote deadline came and went.
"I am a concerned citizen. I believe Americans believe in fairness and justice and I don't think Bush is being fairly treated," said Ms Susan Garland, of Thomasville, Georgia. "I feel like the election is being stolen.
Standing next to her, Ms Mary Bruce, a Gore supporter from Jacksonville, Florida, urged Florida Secretary of State, Ms Katherine Harris, to allow the continuation of manual recounts that could shift the election to the vice-president.
"I came down here to make sure I support the Supreme Court action that we should get all the hand counts," she said.
Inside the state capitol building, three reporters with Florida newspapers huddled in a hall outside Ms Harris's office and refused police requests they leave the building as the final county tallies were being faxed to her office.
The reporters were accompanied by an attorney who told police Ms Harris, who was working to certify the election, was in violation of so-called "Sunshine laws" requiring state business to be conducted in public.
In Washington, a noisy demonstration was under way yesterday afternoon outside the vice-president's mansion, with Republicans chanting "Get out of Cheney's house!" and Democrats shouting, "Joe's moving in!"
They were referring to Republican vice-presidential nominee Mr Dick Cheney, a former defence secretary and his Democratic rival, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.
The vice president's residence is set far back from a wooded avenue in a quiet section of Washington, but yesterday drivers honked horns and many of the 200 demonstrators used megaphones.
Like the US election in miniature, Republicans and Democrats stood on opposite sides of the street and shouted at one another.
Ms Kira Schulz, a marketing consultant from Maryland, crossed over to the Republican side, insisting that Mr Gore should have conceded defeat after a single recount of ballots in Florida.
"I'm a registered Democrat but I'm embarrassed to be a Democrat. Sure you need a recount, but there has to be a standard to follow," she said.
Across the street, Democrats were a bit less noisy.
"I believe Gore won the election by between 20,000 and 40,000 votes in Florida. If anyone is trying to steal this election, it's the Bush campaign," said Mr Stanley Weiss, a professor at Washington's American University.
Members of the secret service, the security detail assigned to top government officials, were discretely standing by. Mr Gore, who lives in the vice presidential mansion, was not in sight.