Posted on 11/15/2018 4:57:58 AM PST by rarestia
A federal judge stated that he is not likely to allow election officials in Florida to automatically count thousands of mail-in ballots that have signatures that do not match those on file as deadline day for the Florida recount has arrived as counties across the state must have ballots re-tabulated by 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
A big point of contention for incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Democrats, mail-in ballots that have signatures that do not match those on file have been thrown out.
"So I ask each of you, just consider whether or not you'd want you ballot thrown out by an untrained – even though well-intentioned – election worker or a volunteer, all because he or she determined your signature doesn't look right," Nelson has said.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has not yet ruled but said he may give voters extra time to fix their ballots.
The lawsuit is one of a half-dozen related to Florida's ongoing recount that involves three statewide races including Nelson's race against Gov. Rick Scott.
Election officials testified that nearly 4,000 mail-in and provisional ballots have been rejected so far because of mismatched signatures.
The recount could very well put to bed the race for governor, but it may be far from over in the elections of Florida's next U.S. senator and commissioner of Agriculture.
There is some concern that elections supervisors will not have their recounts finished by the deadline.
No indication of problems for elections supervisors in Central Florida, but elsewhere in the state the recount may not be done on time.
It could set the stage for even more lawsuits during this recount process.
Scott refused to answer questions during a freshmen orientation in the U.S. Senate if he still believed there was recount fraud going on in Florida.
Scott made his way to Washington even though he has not been officially declared the winner in the U.S. Senate race.
The Republican senate hopeful holds a .14 percent lead over incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Both sides have filed lawsuits in an effort to sway the recount in their favor.
Scott will recuse himself from his role on the Florida election commission, which is responsible for certifying the final election results, his attorney told a federal judge Wednesday.
Democrats had demanded the move, since Scott is wrapped up in the middle of the tightening Senate race.
Nelson's lawsuit is seeking to do three things:
Nelson is asking for disputed mail in and provisional ballots to be included in the final vote count.
To extend vote counting deadlines.
To change the definition of voter intent in deciding if over votes and undervotes will count.
Even the federal judge on Wednesday said the requests, if approved by the court, would be like hunting a squirrel with a bazooka.
Although a ruling on that has not been determined, a judge on Wednesday indicated he was unlikely to side with Democrats and order the automatic counting of all the ballots with mismatched signatures.
He did say he was open to giving voters extra time to fix their ballots.
What that means for Thursday's recount is not certain and a lot remains in limbo.
With a close enough race, it is most likely this U.S. Senate race will head to a manual recount next.
The senate race and agriculture commissioner race will likely head to hand recounts of under votes and undervotes: That is where someone skipped voting in races or voted for two people in one race.
However, if the gap between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum does not narrow by the recount deadline Thursday, that race for governor may be called for DeSantis.
If hand counts are needed, the deadline for those vote totals is Sunday, with the vote certification deadline next Tuesday.
In Orange, Brevard, Volusia counties and the rest of Central Florida, the re-tabulated numbers are being sent to the state.
Palm Beach is the only county in Florida that has publically said it would not make the deadlines.
"I am working as hard as i can and I can't give anymore. This is our democracy and I am here to count every vote and I will take the time that's required," said Susan Bucher, the supervisor of Elections of Palm Beach County.
However, the problem is Palm Beach County is taking way more than the time state law allows and even more time than ordered by the courts recently.
For those counties that miss the deadline, the state says it will certify the vote count from Election Night.
That could spur yet another lawsuit in an already very contentious recount.
A manual recount is also expected in the tight race for Commissioner of Agriculture after Thursday's machine recount is finished. Republican Matt Caldwell and Democrat Nikki Fried are both waiting for the results.
Sounds that way to me too.
If they do send election officials to visit provisional voters, they need at least two poll watchers or US Marshals along on the visit.
They also need to make public by 7pm every night how many matches and fraudulent votes they confirmed.
The whole thing is a cluster. And it goes on and on and on.
I read it. Mismatched signatures are purposeful attempts to steal it election. If they are allowed the judge should be in jail.
Headline writers are there to attract views, not to be any more accurate than they have to be [very wry face]! I regard the loss of proof and copy editors (excuse is economic) to be the biggest sin of modern MSM LEFT 'journalism'!
I don’t see how the 2020 election can occur. What you see now will simply be intensified with a Electoral College deadline, and the judges will shape the events to ensure the votes can’t be sent as deemed by the Constitution.
So in January of 2021...the House members will arrive in DC, and because the Electoral College failed to do a count....we will end up with a House election for President.
Am I stupid or does the title say “may not toss mismatched signatures” and then the story says “judge may not allow”. Sheesh
That's somewhat presumptuous. May have been "someone", or it could just as well been two people. May have been a vote for two people, or could just as well been a vote for one person with another one an hour/day/week later.
If a signature appears to be in identical handwriting but one includes a middle initial and the other doesn't, I'd count it.
Variants of the name can be trickier. Bob may sometimes sign as Robert. Consistency must be the rule here. Personally, I'd insist on the full legal name as the standard and would ensure that this is clearly stated on the relevant forms.
To hinge an election on amateur signature matching is insanity. Someone is getting dis-enfrachised. This provisional ballot scam is progressive idiocy.
Get off your ass and vote on one specified day of the year and most of this fraud nonsense would disappear.
The headline writer previously wrote this memorable line from Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”
my signature looks nothing like my book signature. i’m 20 years older.
Sounds to me like a Mueller run, Cluster Fete!
If so, it could go on forever.
Is Brenda Snipes related to Wesley Snipes, the IRS Bandit?
“Even the federal judge on Wednesday said the requests, if approved by the court, would be like hunting a squirrel with a bazooka.”
“What that means for Thursday’s recount is not certain and a lot remains in limbo.”
THIS ARTICLE IS SATIRE RIGHT?
...
[Nelson Lawsuit] To change the definition of voter intent in deciding if over votes and undervotes will count.
===
These two items form the crux of how the Democrats look to overthrow this election, by allowing, effectively, the monitors to 'vote' where the voter chose not to vote (under-vote) or marked with more than the permissible number of selections on the ballot (over-vote). This would be done in the hand-count and the Democrats will argue that, given the fact that the Agriculture race has to be hand counted by Florida Law, there is no reason or cost to not 'validate' these other two elections.
If that is permitted by the Court(s) then the observers take the place of the voter and 'decide' what the intent of the (assumed) lack of clarity means. This would be meat and drink for the Nelson, Gillum & Fried lawyers for endless challenges. If this goes through as they desire, Sen. Rubio would be the sole Florida Senator in DC and that reduces the GOP majority to almost nothing.
I agree with you to an extent. The signature on my DL and the signature on, for instance, my mortgage paperwork are very different. I think signatures change over time. There are very specific markers to signatures, but no signature is the same every time.
That being said, I’ve seen pictures of ballots signed with an “X” and that should not be allowed. I’ve been asked to re-sign my signature at the polling place when my signature varied drastically from the one on my DL.
Agree. Other than absentee votes for bona fide reasons, every other vote must be cast in person on election day and every ballot reported within a specified time frame.
Maybe I want to vote in the 2020 general now, will my vote be counted even if I pass before then? What about 30 days before, 10, 2? Seems you have to be alive when the tally is made for the vote to count.
The law doesn’t rule the day generally. The courts care too much about perception. They just make it up as they go along. The outcomes of these rulings should be knowable before they rule. That’s the point of law.
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