Outgoing Democratic Senator Bill Nelson found another excuse for his Florida midterm defeat to Republican Rick Scott over the weekend; bizarrely claiming “voter suppression” was behind his election disaster just hours after he officially conceded the race.
Nelson was speaking with MSNBC Sunday afternoon when he weighed-in on his loss to sitting Governor Scott; saying we have to “make it easier for Americans to vote.”
Bill Nelson in his concession: "We must end all forms of voter suppression, make it easier for Americans to vote, and honor the ideal that we are governed by the majority and not by the minority rule." pic.twitter.com/lxhwg7W7du
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 18, 2018
“I will continue to fight on and on for inalienable human rights that are the soul and glory of the American experience… We must end all forms of voter suppression and make it easier for Americans to vote,” said Nelson.
HISTORIC HEADACHE: Florida Officials Order First-Ever Statewide ‘HAND RECOUNT’
Florida’s Secretary of State took an unprecedented move Thursday night to solve the midterm election mayhem; demanding a full state-wide “hand recount” for the first time in Florida’s history.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Secretary of State Ken Detzner ordered the manual recount after a five-day machine recount of over 8 million votes was plagued with mechanical failures, “irregularities,” and claims of fraud.
“Following a five-day machine recount of the more than 8.3 million votes cast in the Nov. 6 elections, Secretary of State Ken Detzner ordered hand recounts Thursday afternoon in the race between U.S. Sen Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott, and also the race for agriculture commissioner between Nicole ‘Nikki’ Fried and Matt Caldwell,” writes the Times.
Florida law demands that all races that fall within half of one percentage point be recounted.
The Sunshine State’s 67 counties now have three additional days to manually recount every vote; enlisting thousands of volunteers to handle the load and reach the new deadline.
Read the full report at the Tampa Bay Times.
FLORIDA FALLOUT: Broward County’s Brenda Snipes RESIGNS As Election Supervisor
Broward County Election Supervisor Brenda Snipes confirmed her plan to resign from office this week; turning in a letter of resignation Sunday evening after the conclusion of the ill-fated and problem-plagued Florida recount.
“Brenda C. Snipes, the elections supervisor of Broward County, Fla., turned in a letter of resignation on Sunday, hours after the conclusion of a vote recount that exposed a series of failures in her office, including a poorly designed ballot that may have contributed to a weak showing by the defeated Senate incumbent, Bill Nelson,” writes the New York Times.
“It has been my passion and honor to serve as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County voters,” she wrote in the letter. “Although I have enjoyed this work tremendously over these many election cycles, both large and small, I am ready to pass the torch.”
Snipes found herself embroiled in political turmoil after her county failed to comply with Florida law and missed an extended deadline; effectively nullifying the recount and reverting the tally to the original Election Day results.
Read the full report at the New York Times.