The election overseer for Florida’s Palm Beach County said the machine recount under her supervision will not be finished by Thursday’s deadline, as the state’s recount effort for the governor and Senate contests grips the attention of the nation.
“It’s impossible,” Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher told CNN on Sunday. Volunteers are reportedly using a total of eight machines to recount the hundreds of thousand votes cast in the county. The deadline, set by the Florida secretary of state, is 3 p.m. Thursday.
The recount process began at 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Palm Beach Post. Bucher said the current infrastructure would not suffice for the recount to be completed on time, and told the paper that bringing in extra county workers would not solve the problem.
“I will tell you that the secretary and the legislature and the governor have been extremely aware that with the election equipment we have, the potential of conducting all of these is impossible,” Bucher said.
Bucher has faced criticism for her role in the recount efforts, as has Broward County supervisor of elections Brenda Snipes. The Miami Herald reported Sunday that the Broward County recount was delayed by hours due to technical glitches.
President Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to allege an attempt to “steal” Florida’s election in favor of Democrats, and warned that his party was “watching closely!”
Trying to STEAL two big elections in Florida! We are watching closely!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2018
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, filed multiple lawsuits against Broward and Palm Beach Counties on Sunday, accusing local officials of “willful disregard of the law.” He faces Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and has a slim lead.
Among the other contests not yet called and subject to a recount are the governor race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum as well as the agriculture commissioner race.
Michael Barnett, Palm Beach County’s GOP chairman, told CNN that the county’s inability to meet the deadline would be “good news for Republicans because our candidates are ahead.”
“If they’re not able to meet the deadline, the secretary of state of Florida may go ahead and certify the elections for our candidates,” Barnett said. “In that case, you can bet your butt there will be lawsuits filed everywhere.”
