WASHINGTON – “Don’t Suppress Democracy,” said one placard-bearing demonstrator in front of Vice President Al Gore’s official residence in Washington on Friday.

“Count ALL the votes,” read another poster.

The bearers got their wish late Friday as the Florida Supreme Court said in a 4-3 vote what the Democratic presidential nominee has been saying for more than a month: “This is America, and in America, we count the votes.”

“It’s about legitimacy,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine. “Otherwise, I’ve felt that [Texas Gov. George W.] Bush, if he won in circumstances where not all the votes were counted, would always be under a cloud.”

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said the 4-3 decision “further complicates” the outcome.

“The narrowness of the decision guarantees the U.S. Supreme Court will once again be called upon to review a decision of the state court,” Snowe projected. “Even as this uncertainty continues for the nation, I am reassured by the wisdom of our Constitution, which established a process – under way – that will in time bring finality to this situation.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was aboard an aircraft heading back to Maine as the Florida high court decision was issued by a clerk on the steps of the supreme court in Tallahassee, her spokeswoman, Susie Wood, said.

U.S. Rep. John E. Baldacci, D-Maine, was reportedly at home in Maine, but could not be reached.

“These are certainly interesting times,” Allen said, indicating he spent much of Thursday watching the oral arguments before the Florida courts. He ventured that lawyers for both sides did well, and that before the high court, the justices asked appropriate probing questions.

“I believe that either one of these candidates is better off if there is a count of the undervote statewide,” Allen said. “It will get rid of the issue of legitimacy.”

Allen suggested that Florida may want to abandon the punch-card voting system in the future.

“What’s best for this country is to have the most complete and accurate vote that you can have,” said Allen, a Gore supporter. “If we count every vote, then we can figure out who should become president. The vote isn’t over. The count isn’t over.”