November 13, 2000

Reconstruction of voting in Palm Beach County, Fla, on Election Day shows overworked and understaffed system grappling with widespread confusion over ballot originally designed by county's Democratic elections supervisor to be easily read; while majority of voters from both parties cast votes without problems, enough were confused that local Democratic Party office and state Democratic headquarters were deluged with angry calls; voters seeking help from electoral officials say they were turned away by poll workers who, in turn, were told by bosses to remind people they could vote only once; many voters were confused by second hole in punch-card ballot that did not align with names of Democratic candidates, Vice Pres Al Gore and Sen Joseph Lieberman, and ended up voting for Patrick J Buchanan; photo (M)

Massive Civil War memoirs and drawings of Robert Knox Sneden, a Union private, which were unknown to scholars for decades and held in two separate collections, have been acquired by Virginia Historical Society and transformed into contemporary book, Eye of the Storm, and art exhibition at New-York Historical Society; photos (M)

Article discusses history of building on Orchard Street in lower Manhattan; built more than 130 years ago, building first housed immigrants and is now part of an area that is undergoing renewal and, consequently, increases in housing costs; photo (M)

NEW DISPUTE -- Republicans were allowed to amend applications for absentee ballots in Seminole County, Fla., Democrats say. PAGE A19 RECORD OF FAIRNESS -- The federal judge selected to hear the Bush campaign's lawsuit is a lifelong Democrat who is highly regarded by both parties. PAGE A18

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column discusses New York Senator-Elect Hillary Rodham Clinton's statement that she will co-sponsor legislation to abolish Electoral College; suggests Clinton should be more circumspect before announcing her solution; Purnick holds that Electoral College protects minorities and forces candidates to pay attention to African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics and union workers who form larger proportion of electorate in large states than they do nationally; exaggerates influence of states with small populations; contends issue is larger than Clinton suggests and politically daunting, requiring debate and careful analysis (M)