There have been continuous questions about votes in heavily Democrat Broward and Palm Beach counties as the recount in Florida continues. The Washington Examiner editorial board has weighed in, saying “Incompetence and lawlessness in Broward isn’t fraud, but it has a cost:”
“For the last two years, the Democrats’ strongest argument has been that it is dangerous when government officials violate laws and norms.
We hope this concern, surely shared by most of the major news media, extends to county election officials who are turning a vote count into a lawless circus.
Similarly, we hope that all the commentators who have spent two years fretting about the legitimacy of our democracy will join us in fretting about the legitimacy of the vote count in Florida.
Election Day was normal enough. Florida Gov. Rick Scott led incumbent Bill Nelson in the Senate race, and Rep. Ron DeSantis enjoyed a more comfortable but still small lead for governor over Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. Both Republicans declared victory. Gillum, at least, conceded. It was supposed to be over.
Although the vote was close and a recount is properly underway, the political warfare could already be behind us if it weren’t for the election supervisors in Broward and Palm Beach counties. A week later, Florida still doesn’t know its next senator or governor, because these government officials just won’t do their jobs.
Scott went too far when he accused the Broward County supervisor of elections, Brenda Snipes, of attempting “to steal this election.” But it’s no exaggeration to say she has been breaking the law — repeatedly.
Broward and Palm Beach counties are both Democratic strongholds, and both, unlike the other 65 counties in the state, failed to meet state-mandated deadlines for counting ballots and reporting. Florida law requires that all early voting and all vote-by-mail results be reported to the Department of State 30 minutes after polls close. After that, election supervisors are to update voter tallies every 45 minutes until the counting is complete. That didn’t happen in Broward or Palm Beach.“
