Florida recount begins in Allen West district

[Maraya1969]

Source: MSNBC

The congressional race between Tea Party Rep. Allen West and Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy is getting uglier, with the St. Lucie county board kicking off a recount of all the early votes in the contest Saturday.

Murphy beat West on Election Day by a little more than 2,000 votes, placing his win beyond the .5% margin of victory trigger for an automatic recount

West, however, claimed there were voter irregularities and demanded a partial recount of early-voting ballots. When the recount of the last three-days of early voting lowered Murphy’s total by 667 votes and increased West’s results by 132, the incumbent’s lawyers demanded a full recount of all eight days of early voting, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The county canvassing board admitted that 306 votes—mostly filled with write-in candidates—had been uncounted, and that other votes had been ignored.

Read more: http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/11/17/florida-recount-begins-in-allen-west-district/

[hrmjustin]

1. Will the canvassing board make him pay for it? I hope so.

[PatrynXX]

7. especially if he loses again

because right now he's just a boring republican not a tea part nut. wasteful spender type akin to Bush Jr and Scott Walker... and breaking the law

[Hulk]

2. So be it.

Let Murphy beat him twice. Hopefully it was accurate, and the race will be over and west can get his gig started on fox-propaganda network soon enough.

[Duer 157099]

3. Butterfly ballots and hanging chads notwithstanding

how the hell do you screw up a vote count? It's not rocket science, it's fucking COUNTING.

Maybe Big Bird can help.

[BainsBane]

5. It's Florida

Need I say more? And I say that as someone who lived in Palm Beach county for 8 years.

[GeorgeGist]

4. Florida

[BobbyBoring]

14. FloriDUH!

[xtraxritical]

15. Another reason for a "like" button on DU posts!

kick

[mzkaye]

6. just another way for this prick to stay in the news

[secondwind]

8. I hope he loses AGAIN!! I've been so happy knowing that he LOST!!!

[SoapBox]

9. I hope that there are lots and lots of neutral observers!

...I wouldn't trust a Puke, Bagger or Hater around these ballots, as far as I could throw them.

[adieu]

10. Murphy should sue the crap out of West

for demanding a recount when the count difference is greater than 0.5%.

Personally, I think all counts should be done with both (all) parties and extra independent poll watchers to check on the votes, all done on paper ballots which can be recounted as many times as needed. But once you cross the threshold of count differences, then shut the fuck up. I'm looking at you, Allen West.

[jwirr]

11. Is he trying to do what to his opponent what happened to Al Franken?

[jonthebru]

13. This isn't quite the same.

Al Franken's race was close enough to trigger a recount with Franken on the losing side in the beginning. Unbelievably close. Of course there were legal wrangling but the true count changed quite a lot in Al's favor. That really pissed off the Republicans.
This vote count as it exists is not close enough to trigger a recount in that state. It is only West's whining that is triggering a recount.

[Iliyah]

12. I can't see West remotely winning

but do see Murphy increasing his lead. There you have it, tea bats are sorry losers, another one who will never face reality.

[Loge23]

16. This won't end today either way.

The recount - of early ballots only, an important distinction - is due by 12N today, twenty minutes as I write with no news as of now.
If West still comes up short, he will appeal the entire election regardless of the margin.
If the margin, as a result of the early ballot recounting, puts the range within the .5% then the recount is on automatically.
Of course, Murphy will be filing his own briefs as a counter to West's anticipated reaction.
What a complete clusterF*!

[flamingdem]

17. thanks for the update Loge23!

[Hokie]

18. There is lots of insantiy at the Allen West Republic Facebook page

Allen West Republic

They are certain that massive voter fraud has been committed.