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The Florida District 27 race between Maria Elvira Salazar where she has won over 1,090 votes is now headed to a recount – but the dispute over who should be overseeing that process is now part of a federal lawsuit.
The final count by the Miami-Dade Canvassing Board on Friday morning had Salazar ahead of her contender by 1,090 votes. Florida’s secretary of state will now order a recount that could happen as early as Monday or Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, her rival campaign has filed a federal lawsuit, calling on Miami-Dade elections supervisor Alina Garcia to recuse herself from the canvassing board.
“Voters deserve impartiality in how their votes are counted, and that’s why the decision was made to go to federal court,” said JC Planas, an attorney said.
The complaint also questions her impartiality, pointing to her political connections
“She gave a statement to the press on Tuesday that there shouldn’t be a recount because Salazar was going to win anyway,” Planas said.
Photos from Garcia’s and Salazar’s respective social media profiles show the two together. In one of them, Garcia describes Salazar as a “dear friend of many years.”
Garcia’s office told NBC she will not recuse herself, saying there is no conflict.
“Statutorily there is no reason why I need for me to recuse myself, so I’m not going to,” Garcia said. “There’s nothing to be concerned about. Unfortunately, because it’s a partisan issue, some people like to divide instead of unite. I am not one of those people.”
Salazar is also pushing back, accusing her competitor of “behaving like an election denier, attempting to turn the process into a political circus,” while saying she welcomes a recount.
If the final margin is one-half of one percent or less, Florida law requires a recount. Planas said that makes who sits on the canvassing board even more important.
“And the canvassing board will determine for whom the mark is made. This is something that requires the utmost objectivity and the utmost lack of partisanship,” he said.
