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Rep. Darren Soto speaks at Election Night party
Rep. Darren Soto is running for Florida's ninth congressional seat, he is up against candidate Dan Green. Political analysts Mike Miller and Rishi Bagga talk about how redistricting has brought challenged to Soto.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Several closely contested congressional races in Florida could face automatic recounts as election officials review results from Tuesday's midterm elections. Under Florida law, a machine recount is required when unofficial results show a candidate trailing by one-half of one percentage point or less.
Florida does not require runoff elections in November general elections for U.S. House or Senate seats when no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. Instead, the state's plurality system awards the seat to the candidate who receives the most votes, even without a majority.
When is a recount required?
The Florida Department of State oversees recount procedures for federal races. The Secretary of State orders recounts in congressional, statewide and multicounty contests. Candidates and political committees cannot independently order or demand a recount.
If a machine recount narrows the margin to one-quarter of one percentage point or less, a manual recount is generally required, subject to certain exceptions. The manual review focuses on ballots identified as overvotes or undervotes during the machine recount to determine whether voters clearly indicated their choices.
Machine recounts involve retabulating all ballots cast in the affected race. Election officials must publicly test voting equipment before counting begins, and both machine and manual recounts are open to public observation. Authorized representatives may observe the process and raise objections to ballot determinations.
The recount process could affect the final outcome in Florida congressional districts where candidates are separated by narrow margins. Results remain unofficial until required recount procedures are completed and election officials certify the final vote totals.
Under Florida law, a machine recount may be waived if a qualifying defeated candidate submits a written request. Manual recounts also have exceptions, including situations in which the number of overvotes and undervotes is insufficient to change the election outcome.
Florida's recount thresholds are one-half of one percentage point for a machine recount and one-quarter of one percentage point for a manual recount following the machine count. Unlike some states, Florida does not require a congressional runoff when no candidate receives a majority of the vote.
The Source: This story was written based on Florida Statutes and the Division of Elections.