Republican protestors outside the Broward County Board of Elections office on Friday chanted “lock her up” in reference to Brenda Snipes, the county’s supervisor of elections.
Protestors are enraged at Snipes, claiming that she is corrupt, according to Miami Herald reporter Alex Harris.
Republican protest crowd doubles to about 60. Chant of lock her up breaks out pic.twitter.com/PfBHkbokha
Click Here: camiseta river plate— Alex Harris (@harrisalexc) November 9, 2018
Snipes has been the subject of controversy before. The Broward elections office was still counting ballots days after the 2004 election, according to the Orlando Sun-Sentinel. Counting issues plagued Snipes’s office in the years leading up to 2018 as well.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) is suing Snipes, alleging that her office is withholding information as Scott’s Senate race against Democratic incumbent Bill NelsonClarence (Bill) William NelsonNASA, SpaceX and the private-public partnership that caused the flight of the Crew Dragon Lobbying world The most expensive congressional races of the last decade MORE is likely headed for a recount. The margin between Nelson and Scott currently sits at roughly 15,000 votes.
The lawsuit accused Snipes’s office of failing to provide information regarding how many people voted and how many remaining ballots remain uncounted, prompting controversy and protests.
At a press conference Thursday night, Scott accused Snipes of having a “history of acting in bad faith.”
Additionally, Nelson is suing Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner in Tallahassee federal court to extend the deadline for counties to turn in unofficial vote counts.
President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE weighed in on Twitter, saying “law enforcement is looking into another big corruption scandal having to do with Election Fraud.”
“If you look at Broward County, they have had a horrible history,” Trump said Friday. “And if you look at the person, in this case a woman, involved, she has had a horrible history, and all of the sudden they’re finding votes out of nowhere and Rick Scott, who won, you know it was close, who won by a comfortable margin, every couple of hours it goes down by a little bit.”
In a tweet on Friday, Trump questioned how Nelson’s lead could be narrowing, suggesting foul play.
Rick Scott was up by 50,000+ votes on Election Day, now they “found” many votes and he is only up 15,000 votes. “The Broward Effect.” How come they never find Republican votes?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
While Scott retains a lead over Nelson, it has narrowed as more votes, mostly coming in from Broward and Palm Beach counties, are counted.