Washington: Florida will hold a machine recount of vo­­tes in its neck-and-neck rac­es for the US Senate and gov­ernor, officials said on Satur­day, setting up a days-long wait for closure in two of the most closely-watched contests of the midterm elections.

Results of the recount are due by 3pm on Thursday for the two races, which along with those for governor in Georgia and for the US Senate in Arizona, are the most high-profile contests still undecided after Tuesday’s vote.

The drama echoed the 2000 presidential vote recount that took place in Florida, with both sides alleging foul play and sending teams of lawyers to the Sunshine State.

In Florida’s election for the US Senate, Republican Governor Rick Scott had seen his lead narrow over incumbent Democratic US Senator Bill Nelson to about 12,500 votes, or 0.15 per cent, by Saturday evening.

Scott urged every sheriff in the state to watch for any violations during the recount process and to take appropriate actions.

“We will not let unethical liberals steal this election!” Scott wrote on Twitter. “It’s time Senator Nelson accepts these results and allows the state of Florida to move forward to a better future.” Nelson said his campaign would continue taking action to ensure every vote is counted without interference or efforts to undermine the democratic process.

“We believe when every legal ballot is counted we’ll win this election,” Nelson said in a statement.

In the gubernatorial contest, Republican Ron DeSan­tis’ lead over Democrat And­r­ew Gillum winnowed to about 33,700 votes, or 0.41 per cent.

DeSantis said in a video statement that the results were “clear and unambiguous, just as they were on election night,” and that he was honoured by the trust Floridians placed in him.

“It is important that everyone involved in the election process strictly adhere to the rule of law which is the foundation for our nation,” DeSantis said.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2018