Dems seek to overhaul voting rules in Florida legal fight
By Max Greenwood - 11/16/18 07:44 PM EST
Democrats see a series of lawsuits in Florida’s bitter recount fight between Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Gov. Rick Scott (R) as an opportunity to achieve a years-long goal: reshaping how ballots are evaluated and counted in the nation’s largest swing state in 2020 and beyond.
While most of the lawsuits are centered around the recount, some Democrats see the effort as a chance to change some of the standards governing how ballots are assessed in the Sunshine State, potentially widening the pool of countable votes.
That could carry implications for future elections by forcing local and state officials to tally votes they otherwise would invalidate under current standards – an outcome they hope will improve their electoral chances in a must-win state known for its unpredictable politics.
“A lot of these lawsuits might not even be primarily motivated by the Senate race. If you look across the board, it looks very unlikely that there are even enough ballots at play,†said Michael Morley, an assistant professor at the Florida State University College of Law.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/417230-dems-seek-to-overhaul-voting-rules-in-florida-legal-fight
