The race for Florida’s 26th Congressional District remains too close to call, and neither candidate has been declared the winner. Democrat Nicole Locklin, who is challenging longtime Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, said she believed she had won after early results showed her ahead. Those totals later changed.
The Associated Press said a data entry error caused an incorrect vote total to briefly appear for Locklin. The news agency said it found and fixed the number and has not named a winner. Diaz-Balart has said he is confident he will prevail and should be declared the winner.
Locklin went to Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott with questions. She said about 3,000 votes reported around 11:16 p.m. Tuesday were removed without explanation, and that about 1,800 votes remained outstanding in Broward County, where not all precincts were fully reported. Scott said he welcomed the scrutiny, believed the county had done everything correctly and was prepared to present evidence.
After the meeting, Locklin said she still wants answers about what happened and said she planned to raise the issue with Miami-Dade County election officials.
