Mid-term Elections 2018: Florida Orders Recount Of Votes

Florida has ordered a machine recount of votes for state governor and senator following Tuesday’s closely fought mid-term elections, officials say.

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner said that as unofficial results in both races had fallen within a margin of 0.5%, a recount was required by law.

The two ballots are among the most important yet to be decided. US President Donald Trump responded to the news by accusing Democrats of trying to “steal” the elections.

The state’s Republican Governor Rick Scott, who is standing for the senate, also warned of electoral fraud, but neither he nor President Trump offered any evidence to back their claims.

The recounts are expected to take several days, but analysts say possible legal challenges mean it could take weeks for the winners to be confirmed.

In the race for Florida’s Senate seat, unofficial results revealed a gap of just 0.15% between the votes for incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson and Mr Scott.

Democrat Andrew Gillum had already conceded the state governorship, but Ron DeSantis’s lead for the Republicans later narrowed to 0.41%.

Source: BBC