The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) condemns the mishandling of ballot processing in south Florida that will likely lead to a statewide recount.

RNLA President Elliot Berke stated: “The current situation in Florida shows how important open, fair, and honest elections are. When election officials are not transparent and don’t follow the law, as is happening in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, it opens the door to fraud and decreases public confidence in election outcomes and our electoral system. This in turn undermines our democracy and our Republic.”

RNLA Co-Chair Joanne Young agreed: “All citizens should be able to trust that election officials work hard to make sure every eligible citizen’s vote is counted and ineligible votes are not counted. Part of that is following state law and established procedures. That has not happened in south Florida, where there are reports of mishandled provisional ballots in Broward County, reporting deadlines not met, and the Broward County Supervisor of Elections still refusing to say how many ballots remain to be counted three days after the election.”

RNLA Executive Director Michael Thielen added: “The sheer incompetence and possible outright fraud of the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, Brenda Snipes, is casting a heavy shadow over the U.S. Senate race. Even the counties hit by Hurricane Michael were able to process and count their ballots to meet state deadlines. Keep in mind that Snipes has admitted in court to counting fraudulent ballots in the past. What is Broward County's excuse, if not to leave open the opportunity to discover additional votes after Election Day?”

The RNLA seeks to promote open, fair and honest elections at all levels of American society in a non-discriminatory manner and to provide access to the polls to all qualified and eligible voters. Through its efforts, the RNLA strives to strengthen the faith and confidence of all citizens of the United States in their government and the electoral process. When election officials do not follow the laws and procedures governing elections, it reduces public confidence in election outcomes, opens the door to fraud and post-election maneuvering by Democratic attorneys, and threatens to disenfranchise eligible voters.

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