Donald Trump Calls for Halt to Vote Recount in Florida

On Monday, November 12, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, urged Florida election officials to stop the recount of votes from last week's midterm elections, claiming without evidence that Republican candidates had won. Florida election officials plan to recount approximately eight million votes by Thursday. As a result of the recount, which began several days ago, the number of votes for Republican candidates for two important positions (a Senate seat and the governorship) has decreased. Trump’s request to halt the recount comes despite Florida law mandating a recount due to the very close votes between rival candidates, and election officials are allowed by law to wait 10 days to register votes from citizens living abroad, including military personnel. In the past two days, the recount for one Senate seat contested between former Republican Governor Rick Scott and Democratic Senator Bill Nelson has begun, and the recount for the gubernatorial race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum is also set to occur soon. Republicans aim to secure another Senate seat in Florida, a key battleground state, while Democrats, having gained a majority in the House of Representatives, hope to win the governorship. Both parties have accused each other of attempting to undermine democracy. Rick Scott has filed several complaints with judicial authorities and on Sunday requested the court to order police to seize voting machines and ballots that are currently inactive. Bill Nelson, the Democratic Senate candidate, has also filed a complaint in federal courts. On Monday, Trump reiterated his complaints about the Florida elections in a Twitter message, urging state officials to confirm the initial vote counts instead of counting all votes. Trump alleged that fraud had occurred but provided no evidence to support his claims. In part of his message, he wrote: 'The results of the Florida elections should be declared in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. Suddenly, a large number of ballots have appeared from unknown sources, and many ballots are missing or forged. Due to the potential for widespread fraud, an honest count of the votes is no longer possible. The results from the first day of counting should be accepted.' Multiple investigations have found no evidence of widespread fraud in U.S. elections, although judicial authorities have obtained evidence indicating actions taken to limit minority participation in voting. According to Florida law, election officials must announce the preliminary and unofficial results by the first Saturday after the election. However, the continuation of vote counting and the possibility of a recount, even if parties and media have declared specific candidates as winners, is normal. Additionally, not all votes from citizens living abroad have been received or counted, with the final deadline set for Friday. The Florida police have stated that they will investigate all claims of election misconduct but reported on Friday evening that no specific cases had been established in this regard. The deadline for reviewing and recounting votes is set for 3 PM local time on Thursday, although some state officials have indicated that completing the recount within this timeframe may not be feasible.