Broward County’s election canvassing board met Friday at the Supervisor of Elections office to review questioned ballots from Tuesday’s election. Longtime Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart still leads Democratic newcomer Nicole Locklin by about 1,700 votes in Florida’s 26th Congressional District.
The board includes Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott, a county commissioner and a judge. They examined outstanding ballots flagged for problems ranging from signature issues to ballots cast by voters who later died. Scott said about 100 of roughly 300 outstanding Broward ballots under review were accepted.
“If it’s received before you die, it’s accepted,” Scott said, explaining the rule for mail ballots from voters who died before their ballots arrived. Ballots that arrived after the voter’s death were rejected.
The review follows questions Locklin raised Wednesday. Her vote count briefly jumped on election night before falling back. “If they can’t explain where 3,000 votes went, they owe me a recount,” she said.
The Associated Press told CBS Miami that a data entry error caused the incorrect total to appear for a short time. The error was quickly found and fixed. Election officials in Miami-Dade and Broward said Friday that the remaining outstanding ballots are not enough to change the outcome or trigger a recount. “If every single ballot was for District 26, it’s not enough to change it,” Scott said.
