We’re under a recount

Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

About a dozen observers -including three attorneys - crowded the Jefferson County Elections Office on Monday, Nov. 12, to monitor local election officials as the latter conducted a state-mandated recount of three of Florida's statewide midterm races.
That recount process entailed first testing the county's 18 voting machines to ensure that they were functioning properly, a procedure that took the better part of the morning. During which exercise, Elections Supervisor Marty Bishop, members of the canvassing board, and other county staff members explained the particulars of the process to the observers and responded to their questions.
Once the test runs of the machines were completed, the recount began, which undertaking Bishop estimated would be completed by day's end. Unlike in the state's larger counties, where completion of the recounts were expected to run up against the 3 p.m. Thursday deadline set by the Division of Elections.
Depending on the outcome of the machine recounts in the state's 67 counties, a more complicated hand recount might be ordered, Bishop said.
The three statewide races under question are U.S. Senator, Governor, and Commissioner of Agriculture. Which races respectively pit Republican Governor Rick Scott against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis against Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, and Republican State Representative Matt Caldwell against Democrat attorney and lobbyist Nicole “Nikki” Fried.
The recount hasn't been without controversy and acrimony, as the candidates in the different races have traded barbs and accusations, and in the case of the Senate and Agriculture Commission races, filed lawsuits.
Scott, whose lead over Nelson at last report had narrowed to 12,562 votes, has filed lawsuits against the election supervisors in Broward and Palm Beach counties, two Democratic strongholds.
Nelson, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking a reexamination of the absentee and provisional ballots with signatures that don't match the voter registration records.
Scott also has leveled charges of voter fraud and requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigate the voting in South Florida, although state officials continue to say that no evidence of fraud has been found.
Meanwhile, the Governor's race between DeSantis and Gillum has also tightened, as has the race between Caldwell and Fried, with the latter taking a narrow lead at last report, and Caldwell filing a lawsuit against the Broward County's election chief.
Florida law requires a machine recount if the margin between candidates is half a percentage point or smaller. And it requires a manual recount if the margin falls to 0.25 percent or lower.
Both political parties have enlisted thousands of volunteers and attorneys across the state to represent their interests and monitor elections offices, so as to assure the accuracy and integrity of the recount process they say.
On Tuesday, a joint statement from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement indicated that the two were actively monitoring the recount processes for potential criminal activity, based on established procedures to address allegations of fraud or other criminal misconduct in any election.
“The FDLE has been in continuous contact with the Department of State and we continue to work jointly,” the statement said.  “As allegations are received, the FDLE will continue to vet and review those that may be indicative of  criminal activity.”
“We encourage citizens to remain peaceful as the recount process continues,” the statement concluded.