This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/us/florida-recount-nelson-scott-desantis-gillum.html

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Florida Braces for Election Recounts, Starting With Senate Race Florida Braces for Election Recounts, Now Including the Race for Governor
(35 minutes later)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Legal wrangling began in earnest in Florida on Thursday as top political campaigns girded for the possibility of lengthy and expensive vote recounts, especially in a Senate race that remains too close to call. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Legal wrangling began in earnest in Florida on Thursday, as top political campaigns girded for the possibility of lengthy and expensive vote recounts in a Senate race that remains too close to call and, unexpectedly, also in the closely contested governor’s race.
Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, claimed victory on Tuesday against Senator Bill Nelson, the Democratic incumbent, in that Senate contest. But the vote gap between them has only narrowed since then, as the state’s largest counties have continued to tally ballots that were mailed in or cast on a provisional basis on Election Day. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, claimed victory in the Senate contest on Tuesday against Senator Bill Nelson, the Democratic incumbent. But the vote gap between them has only narrowed since then, as the state’s largest counties have continued to tally ballots that were mailed in or cast on a provisional basis on Election Day.
The gap has also closed in the governor’s race, which is now stunningly close to being in recount territory as well. Andrew Gillum, a Democrat, conceded to Ron DeSantis, a Republican, late on Tuesday night, shortly before The Associated Press called the race for Mr. DeSantis. But Mr. DeSantis’s victory margin has since dropped to 0.52 percentage points — a mere two-hundredths of a point shy of the recount threshold. The gap has also closed in the governor’s race, which is now in recount territory as well. Andrew Gillum, a Democrat, conceded to Ron DeSantis, a Republican, late Tuesday night, shortly before The Associated Press called the race for Mr. DeSantis. But Mr. DeSantis’s victory margin has since shrunk to 0.47 percentage points — three-hundredths of a point below the recount threshold. Mr. DeSantis leads by more than 38,000 votes.
Florida’s 67 counties have until noon on Saturday to submit their unofficial vote totals to the state’s division of elections. Four more contests — for state agriculture commissioner, a State Senate seat and two State House seats — are also likely headed for recounts. Florida’s 67 counties have until noon on Saturday to submit their unofficial vote totals to the state’s division of elections. Four more contests — for state agriculture commissioner, one State Senate seat and two State House seats — are also likely to be headed for recounts. The lead in the agriculture commissioner race flipped on Thursday afternoon: Nikki Fried, a Democrat, moved ahead of Matt Caldwell, a Republican, by 575 votes.
The most high-profile recount possibility so far, however, is in the Senate race. As of Thursday morning, 21,888 votes separated Mr. Scott and Mr. Nelson, a difference of 0.26 percentage points. Under Florida law, a 0.5-point vote margin prompts a machine recount. A 0.25-point vote margin prompts a more thorough manual recount. The highest-profile recount possibility so far, however, is in the United States Senate race. As of Thursday afternoon, 17,344 votes separated Mr. Scott and Mr. Nelson, a difference of 0.22 percentage points. Under Florida law, a margin smaller than 0.5 points prompts a machine recount, and a margin of 0.25 points or less requires a more thorough manual recount.
Mr. Nelson’s elections lawyer, Marc Elias, a veteran of prominent recounts around the country, told reporters on Thursday morning that he expects the gap to narrow and reach the manual-recount threshold. “From where I sit, it is a virtual certainty,” said Marc Elias, Mr. Nelson’s elections lawyer and a veteran of prominent recounts around the country. “I think that it is fair to say right now that the results of the 2018 Senate election are unknown.”.
“From where I sit, it is a virtual certainty,” he said. “I think that it is fair to say right now that the results of the 2018 Senate election are unknown.” Mr. Elias went even further, predicting that outstanding ballots in heavily Democratic Palm Beach and Broward counties would ultimately put Mr. Nelson over the top, though he acknowledged that the campaign does not know how many ballots are left to count.
Mr. Elias went even further, predicting that outstanding ballots in heavily Democratic Palm Beach and Broward Counties would ultimately put Mr. Nelson over the top, though he acknowledged that the campaign does not know how many ballots are left to count.
“At the end of this process, we believe Senator Nelson is going to be declared the winner,” Mr. Elias said.“At the end of this process, we believe Senator Nelson is going to be declared the winner,” Mr. Elias said.
Mr. Scott’s campaign has dismissed the possibility that Mr. Scott, who won his two previous elections for governor by one percentage point, could lose his lead. In a statement on Thursday, the Scott team called Mr. Elias “a hired gun from Washington, D.C., who will try to win an election for Nelson that Nelson has already lost.” Mr. Scott’s campaign has dismissed the possibility that Mr. Scott, who won his two races for governor by one percentage point, could lose his lead in the Senate election. In a statement on Thursday, the Scott team called Mr. Elias “a hired gun from Washington, D.C., who will try to win an election for Nelson that Nelson has already lost.”
“Let’s be clear: When Elias says ‘win,’ he means ‘steal,’” Mr. Scott’s campaign said. “It is sad and embarrassing that Bill Nelson would resort to these low tactics after voters have clearly spoken.”“Let’s be clear: When Elias says ‘win,’ he means ‘steal,’” Mr. Scott’s campaign said. “It is sad and embarrassing that Bill Nelson would resort to these low tactics after voters have clearly spoken.”
Once counties report their unofficial totals to the state on Saturday, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, an appointee of Mr. Scott, will be able to order any of the legally mandated recounts. A statewide machine recount would have to be completed by 3 p.m. on Nov. 15, Mr. Elias said. If that process shows a margin of less than 0.25 percentage points in any federal or state races, then Mr. Detzner would order a manual recount of what are known as undervotes and overvotes that would have to be completed by Nov. 18. Of particular concern to Republicans is the slow pace of counting in Broward, the state’s second most populous county, where a court ruled in May that the office of the elections supervisor, Brenda Snipes, had illegally destroyed some ballots from a 2016 congressional race.
In the Senate race, undervotes are ballots in which optical-scanning machines counted a vote for a down-ballot race like governor or attorney general but not for senator. Overvotes are ballots in which scanners detected that voters marked more than one choice for Senate. Florida voters fill in paper ballots by hand using a pen and no longer cast the punch-card ballots that produced the infamous “hanging chads” in the 2000 presidential election. Dr. Snipes, an elected Democrat, told reporters on Thursday that she could not say how many votes were left to count from this week’s election, only that all mailed-in ballots in the county had already been taken out of their envelopes.
Candidates cannot request recounts, although those with fewer votes can refuse them. “I think we had over 58 percent of our voters voted, and each voter received a ballot package of either five or six pages,” she said when asked about why counting was taking so long. “It’s volume that causes this.”
Mr. Gillum’s campaign said it was monitoring the tightening result in the governor’s race. Results from Broward so far indicate that nearly 25,000 people cast votes for governor but not for senator, even though the Senate race came first on the ballot.
Enthusiasm for Mr. Gillum’s candidacy may account for some of the difference, since- he excited many voters who cared chiefly about electing him. But some Democrats believe that the design of the ballot used in the county played a role: The Senate contest appeared in the bottom left-hand corner of the first page, beneath the instructions to voters, where it may have been easily overlooked. .
Mr. Elias said the difference between the votes for Senate and governor in the county was significant, but he refrained from criticizing the ballot layout, at least for now.
Once counties report their unofficial totals to the state on Saturday, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, an appointee of Mr. Scott, will be able to order any of the legally mandated recounts.
A statewide machine recount would have to be completed by 3 p.m. on Nov. 15, Mr. Elias said. If that process yields a margin of less than 0.25 percentage points in any federal or state races, then Mr. Detzner would order manual recounts in those races of what are known as undervotes and overvotes; the recounts would have to be completed by Nov. 18.
In the Senate race, undervotes are ballots on which optical-scanning machines detected a vote for another race down the ballot, like governor or attorney general, but no selection for Senate. Overvotes are ballots on which scanners detected that the voter had marked more than one choice in the race.
Florida voters fill in paper ballots by hand using a pen, and no longer cast the punch-card ballots that produced the infamous “hanging chads” in the 2000 presidential election.
Candidates cannot request recounts, but those with fewer votes in a race can refuse them.
Before the governor’s race narrowed into recount territory, Mr. Gillum’s campaign said it was monitoring the tightening results. . State Democrats dispatched lawyers to county canvassing boards and sent volunteers to campaign offices to track the counting of provisional ballots.
“Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people, and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted,” Johanna Cervone, his communications director, said in a statement on Thursday.“Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people, and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted,” Johanna Cervone, his communications director, said in a statement on Thursday.
Mr. DeSantis, for his part, has already announced his transition team.Mr. DeSantis, for his part, has already announced his transition team.