Florida Senate race continues towards a recount, as lead remains small

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - Election Day has come and gone, but some people are still holding their breath, as the Senate race is within the margin that can trigger a recount.

The candidates, as of Thursday morning, are about 21,000 votes apart with Rick Scott in the lead. If the race stays that close after all the votes are tallied, it will trigger an automatic recount whether or not the candidates want it. Florida law requires the difference to be less than 0.5%. And if the difference is less than 0.25%, then officials will have to do a manual recount. This means officials will have to go through ballots that were entered as 'errors.'

Governor Rick Scott declared himself the victor of the Senate race on election night. Senator Bill Nelson says that he is not ready to concede and supports a recount. 

Florida State University election law professor Michael Morley says that a recount could result in a different outcome once all the votes are certified. However, he says that "it is extremely unlikely that a recount will help Senator Nelson get ahead."

Provisional ballots and overseas and military ballots are still being counted. 

As of now, the Division of Elections is waiting on each precinct to certify their results before they can order a recount. That deadline is Saturday. If a recount occurs, it would have to happen by November 15th.