Duval County election staff to begin recount Sunday

A group rallied outside a Jacksonville elections office Saturday, while others protested throughout the state calling for transparency in the statewide recount of three races.

The Florida secretary of state ordered recounts in the U.S. Senate, governor and agriculture commissioner races after counties submitted unofficial election results at noon Saturday.

“I don’t think that’s ever happened, to have three,” Duval County Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan said. “This is a historical moment.”

Hogan says all eyes are on Florida as counties begin to re-tally ballots.

Unofficial results show Republican and former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis leading Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by nearly 34,000 votes.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott is ahead of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by more than 12,500.

In the agriculture commissioner race, Democratic candidate Nikki Fried is ahead of Republican Matt Caldwell by just over 5,300 votes.

Recounts are already underway in some counties, and the Duval County canvassing board is set to convene at 9 a.m. Sunday.

In Jacksonville, more than 381,000 votes must be recounted by machine by 3 p.m. Thursday.

Races within 0.25 percent will then go to a hand recount.

Hogan tells Action News Jax that the canvassing board will be looking at “under votes” or ovals left blank in races on ballots.

He said they’ll be determining if there was voter intent – did the voter try to mark a candidate that wasn’t read by the machine?

“If the machine didn’t pick up a mark that may have been just a little off the scannable portion of the ballot, where they should’ve been coloring in the oval, there may be a stray vote there,” Hogan said. “Could be, we don’t know. We don’t think so.”

The Senate race and contest for agriculture commissioner both currently fall within 0.25 percent.

Hogan said the recount will be paid for by Duval County taxpayers.

"Candidates" statements on recounts:

1. Rick Scott won a close but decisive victory over incumbent Senator Bill Nelson. The margin was 12,562 votes.
   
2. Rick Scott won more votes in a midterm election than any U.S. Senate candidate in Florida history. 
   
3. Since 2000, there has never been a recount that closed a margin this size. 
   
4. Bill Nelson's lawyer Marc Elias has previously stated that margins smaller than ours were "insurmountable" and "well exceeds the largest margin ever overcome in a recount." He's previously urged clients to "graciously concede." 
   
5. Bill Nelson has the option of declining a recount. 

"The voters of Florida have spoken and Rick Scott was elected to the United States Senate in a close but decisive victory. The margin of victory is larger than any recount since 2000 has ever closed, with the average recount changing the outcome by just a few hundred votes. It's time for Senator Nelson to accept reality and spare the state of the Florida the time, expense and discord of a recount." – Chris Hartline, Scott for Florida Spokesman 

Cox Media Group