FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) —Former Florida U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy says his ballot didn’t count because of a discrepancy with his signature.
As the vote counts tightened last week, Murphy checked the Palm Beach County elections website and saw his mail-in vote was scrapped because of an invalid signature.
Murphy says it “shows how broken our system is,” adding, “you just wonder how many other cases there are.”
Murphy, who was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2016, said he hoped to appeal, but learned the Nov. 5 deadline had already passed. He said the burden should be on election supervisors to proactively notify citizens.
He said these “kinds of error and mishaps” are troubling in a state like Florida with a history of close elections.
The White House is again weighing in on the Florida Senate recount.
White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp said Tuesday the president “obviously has his opinion” on the recount. Trump on Monday tweeted that “An honest vote count is no longer possible” in Florida, without elaborating, and said “new ballots showed up out of nowhere.”
Republican Gov. Rick Scott holds a narrow lead over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson.
Schlapp said, “It’s been incredibly frustrating to watch. You have a 12,000-vote gap and the other candidate refuses to concede.”
She said the president is confident Scott will win.
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Florida’s election recount of its Senate and governor’s races is chugging along as more irregularities are uncovered.
Bay County revealed Monday that it had allowed some hurricane-displaced voters to cast their ballots by email — a violation of state law.
Manatee County had to restart its recount after getting about a quarter finished because someone forgot to push a button.
And in oft-criticized Broward County, additional sheriff’s deputies were sent to guard ballots and voting machines. A judge said no Republican who has publicly alleged fraud in Broward’s process has filed a criminal complaint. That list includes President Donald Trump and Gov. Rick Scott.
Scott’s Senate contest against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson is one race being recounted. Republican Ron DeSantis is leading Andrew Gillum in the governor race.
