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Election observers from the Florida Election Department in Broward County have found no evidence of criminal activity in Tuesday's election administration, a DOE member told the Miami Herald on Saturday morning.
This information, presented just hours before state election departments report unofficial final results, contradicts allegations of fraud in the Broward Election Office by Governor Rick Scott's lawyers on Thursday and echoes Republican protesters who went to the headquarters of the Broward election office. Friday.
"Our staff has seen no evidence of criminal activity yet," said Sarah Revell, spokeswoman for the state's elections department, at the Herald Saturday morning.
Two DOE members have been stationed in Broward County since at least 6 November to oversee election administration, visit polling stations and "ensure all laws are respected." The Florida State Secretary announced his plan to strengthen oversight in May, following the court's decision, Broward's election supervisor, Brenda Snipes, broke the law by allowing the premature destruction of ballot papers. relating to a contested race following the 2016 elections.
Revell said the DOE staff has remained in Broward County since election day and will continue to oversee the process until certification of the results. The department did not provide information or specific reports from election observers in the states, except to deny that they had information to support Scott's claims that the Broward election officials could fabricate votes in an attempt to reverse the downward trend that the Democratic party was opposing. Bill Nelson for a seat in the Senate.
Scott's campaign did not provide any evidence to support his claims of fraud in Broward and Palm Beach counties and did not immediately respond to the Herald's request for comment. According to the spokesman for the governor, McKinley Lewis, Scott was not informed of the findings of the DOE observers in Broward County.
The Florida Police Department announced Friday that it had not received any illegal activity information from Broward and that Scott had not requested the opening of the site. an official investigation into electoral fraud. Scott has publicly called for the opening of an investigation at a press conference held Thursday night in front of the governor. He said the "liberals" in Broward and Palm Beach counties were trying to steal the elections, while the late returns reduced margins for the US Senate, the governor and the US president. Commissioner of Agriculture.
He then went on FOX and reiterated his claims.
"We do not know how many votes they will get. But it looks like they will continue to find as many votes as they need to win this election, "he said.
The lack of official evidence did not prevent Scott's fraud charges from making their way.
"Bad things have happened in Broward County," President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House. "Really bad things." Trump also suggested that Snipes might have tried to "steal" his 2016 presidential election without providing any evidence.
Protesters gathered in front of Broward's Election Supervisor's headquarters in Lauderhill on Friday, carrying placards accusing Snipes of trying to steal the election and chanting "Lock Her Up."
Although there is no known evidence of illegal activity, incompetence within the Broward election office leadership is causing increasing concern, which were slow to give results. Snipes announced Friday that Broward still had 2,100 mail-in ballots to process. His office has until noon to submit his unofficial results to the state.
Snipes also said Friday that more than a dozen rejected ballots had been accidentally mixed with more than 200 valid ballots, creating an irreconcilable situation in which good votes are rejected or bad votes counted. "The ballots can not be identified," confirmed Snipes.
On Saturday, she asked that the total number of ballots be counted.
"It seems unfair to deprive 205 voters of the right to vote to the detriment of a small number of people," said Snipes, adding that the number of invalid votes would be too limited to tip the results over.
There have been other embarrassing mistakes that have hindered the struggling election supervisor in recent years.
Journalists Alex Herland and Martin Vassolo of the Miami Herald contributed to this report.
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