Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
In order to comply with orders from the Florida Secretary of State, the Madison County Supervisor of Elections office held a machine recount of all votes cast in Madison County during the recent mid-term elections. Because the races for Governor, U.S. Senator and Commissioner of Agriculture fell within .5 percent of the total votes cast, an automatic recount of ballots utilizing the voting machines was ordered. On Sunday, Nov. 11, beginning at 9 a.m., poll workers fed each paper ballot through the voting machines in order to attain another vote count in the three closely contested races. This was done under the watchful eyes of the Madison County Canvassing Board; consisting of Madison County Commissioners Rick Davis and Ronnie Moore, County Judge Bailey Browning and County Attorney Tommy Reeves. There were also citizen observers from both political parties on hand, as well as attorneys from the Florida Democratic Party.
During the recount, each ballot was fed through the voting machines, with special attention paid to the three closely contested races. If a voter did not vote in any of the three races, or had possibly failed to correctly fill in the "bubble" next to a candidate's name, that ballot was considered to be an "undervote." If a person appeared to vote for more than one candidate in a particular race, that ballot was considered to be an "over-vote." The voting machines were programmed to separate all undervotes and over-votes without counting those votes. After all the ballots from a particular precinct had been recounted, the machines for that precinct were reprogrammed to count any of the three races that may have been correctly marked on that ballot. All the ballots with undervotes and/or over-votes were placed in a separate, sealed box to be counted by the canvassing board, should a hand count be ordered.
There was a small number of ballots that were correctly filled out, but for some reason had been "kicked out" by the voting machines. One possible reason for this was the print on the side of the ballot was faint, and could have been misread by the machine. In these cases, another ballot was correctly completed and marked exactly the same as the original ballot. Those ballots were entered into the voting machines so that the votes would be accurately registered. This too, was done under the watch of all members of the Canvassing Board, as well as anyone from the public. During this process, an audio recording of the transaction was also made. Everything that took place in the recount room was also recorded on video.
The process of the machine recount of the Madison County ballots took approximately six hours to complete. The results of the machine recount were sent to the Florida Secretary of State. As of press time, it is unknown if any change occurred in any of the three races subjected to the recount on a state-wide basis. If, after the machine recount results are reported to the Florida Secretary of State, the margin falls within .25 percent, a manual recount of all undervotes and over-votes will take place. During this process, the members of the Canvassing Board will visually examine the individual ballots in an attempt to ascertain the intent of the voter. According to Reeves, it often is not difficult to tell how a voter intended to vote. "Sometimes you will see them circle a candidate's name instead of filling in the bubble. In those cases, it's pretty easy to tell what that voter meant," said Reeves. Should a manual recount be ordered, it will take place on Friday, Nov. 16, at 2:30 p.m. at the Supervisor of Elections office. The Supervisor of Elections office is located at 239 SW Pickney St., in Madison.
Madison County Supervisor of Elections, Tommy Hardee, has also stated that there have been allegations of voter fraud that are currently under investigation by the State Attorney's office. Of particular concern has been the allegation that people have been paid to vote. According to Florida Statutes: "No person shall directly or indirectly give or promise anything of value to another intending thereby to buy that person's or another's vote or to corruptly influence that person or another in casting his or her vote. Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. However, this subsection shall not apply to the serving of food to be consumed at a political rally or meeting or to any item of nominal value which is used as a political advertisement, including a campaign message designed to be worn by a person."
In a statement released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Attorney General, on Monday, Nov. 12, the department stated, "FDLE has been in continuous contact with the Department of State and we continue to work jointly. As allegations are received, FDLE will continue to vet and review those that may be indicative of criminal activity. FDLE will work closely with Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Office of Statewide Prosecution on any criminal investigation and subsequent prosecution." Hardee has asked anyone who suspects or has any information concerning potential voter fraud, to contact the Supervisor of Elections office immediately at (850) 973-6507.
According to Hardee, the only change to Madison County's vote totals was due to one military absentee ballot that was returned and properly post-marked. This added one vote to the County's vote total.
Hardee was quick to acknowledge the work undertaken by his staff during this election process. "We have a very good staff here," said Hardee. "They have worked very hard, sometimes under difficult circumstances. I'm very proud of them." Other information regarding the election process can be found at www.votemadison.com.