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Collier, Charlotte make recount deadline

Lee County expected to make recount deadline
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Collier County's Supervisor of elections announced the county had made the state mandated deadline for machine recounts in the 2018 mid-term election.

The races that were subjected to a recount are for governor, senate and agriculture commissioner.  

A county judge race in Collier between Blake Adams and James Moon will go to a manual recount Thursday.  Adams leads moon by 92 votes.

Machine recounts were finished shortly after 5:00 pm Friday in Collier.  

 

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"They're programed to electronically count the results, how the voter voted," said Collier County Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards.

The new counts showed Republican Candidate for Senate Rick Scott's lead in Collier decrease by 60 votes, and his opponent incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson gain 40 votes.

The two are separated by nearly 12,000 votes statewide.

State elections officials must decide by Thursday afternoon if a statewide manual recount will be required for the senate race, or any other race on the statewide ballot.

"Generally it takes a few hours for them to decide once they receive the 2nd unofficial results," said Edwards.

Florida's law that requires recounts in races decided by less than a half percentage point was passed after the infamous 2000 election that saw former President George W. Bush win Florida by 500 votes and with it the presidency.

It's why Edwards says she doesn't mind counting until the job is done.

"It takes more time, but it is an important element in the election, it;'s part of our job."

Charlotte and Hendry counties completed their recounts Wednesday, and Lee County election officials say they will meet tomorrow's deadline.