Florida Secretary of State Provides Election Day Recap

Tallahassee –

Following polls closing in Florida, Secretary of State Ken Detzner issued the following statement and provided an Election Day recap for Florida voters.

“Overall, we’ve had a very smooth and successful General Election Day here in Florida. We only received a few reports of minor issues from the counties,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “All the Supervisors of Elections were proactive in addressing any concerns and ensuring all voters were able to vote.

“All Floridians can now view Florida’s preliminary election results on the Florida Election Watch website: enight.elections.myflorida.com. A sizeable number of votes have already been reported because initial numbers include the early voting and vote-by-mail ballots that have already been tabulated. We’ll be receiving updated precinct totals from supervisors and canvassing boards throughout the evening. The preliminary election results on Election Night are not the official election results. Official election results are due to the Division no later than noon on Sunday, November 20. These official results will then be presented to a meeting of the Elections Canvassing Commission on Tuesday, November 22.”

UPDATES

VOTER ASSISTANCE HOTLINE: From 7 a.m. through polls closing at 7 p.m. local time, Division of Elections staff answered more than 2,300 calls from Florida voters requesting assistance. The majority of calls were related to voter registration status, address changes, and precinct locations.

ORANGE COUNTY: The Supervisor of Elections office informed the Department that at approximately 5:30 p.m., a polling location in Winter Park (760 N. Lakemont Ave) was temporarily evacuated, which included 20 voters, due to a reported suspicious package. The suspicious package was determined not to be a threat and the entire event lasted less than 20 minutes. All voters returned to the polling location and were able to vote.

PALM BEACH COUNTY: The Supervisor of Elections office informed the Department at approximately 6:30 p.m. that it had dispatched experienced poll workers to help process address changes for voters in line on the Florida Atlantic University campus. All voters at the location have been able to cast a ballot and vote.

BROWARD COUNTY: The Supervisor of Elections office took disciplinary action regarding two poll workers in the county. Please contact the county for more information.

Florida Timeline for Reporting and Certification of 2016 General Election Results

Preliminary returns reported to the state on Election Night are not the official election results. Official returns are due to the Department of State from county canvassing boards no later than noon on November 20. These official results will be certified at a meeting of the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission at 9 a.m. on November 22 at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. The Elections Canvassing Commission consists of the Governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the Governor (Section 102.111, Florida Statutes).

Florida’s timeline for the reporting and certification of election results, which includes the process for possible recounts for any races on the ballot, is as follows:

November 8             GENERAL ELECTION DAY

Preliminary Election Night Returns are due no later than 7:30 pm in the respective county’s time zone on General Election night (Tuesday, November 8) and in 45-minute increments thereafter until all results (except provisional ballots and overseas vote-by-mail ballots) are completely reported. (Section 102.141, Florida Statutes)

Note: Pursuant to Section 101.048, Florida Statutes, November 10 is the deadline for persons voting a provisional ballot to provide evidence of eligibility to Supervisors of Elections.

November 12          Unofficial Returns are due from the county canvassing boards no later than noon on Saturday, November 12. The Secretary of State and Division of Elections will subsequently determine if the returns for any federal, state, or multicounty races or issues on the ballot meet the statutory threshold requiring a machine recount. (Section 102.141, Florida Statutes)

The Secretary of State will order any Machine Recount, if required, for federal, state or multicounty races as determined by statutory thresholds (see below). The results from the machine recount constitute the 2nd set of unofficial returns. (Section 102.141(7), Florida Statutes)

Note: For all other races, the county canvassing board or the local board responsible for certifying the election are responsible for ordering recounts.

November 17           If a Machine Recount is ordered, Second Unofficial Returns are due from the county canvassing boards no later than 3 p.m. on November 17. The Secretary of State and Division of Elections will subsequently determine if the returns for any federal, state, or multicounty races or issues on the ballot meet the statutory threshold requiring a manual recount.

The Secretary of State will order any Manual Recount, if required, for federal, state or multicounty races as determined by statutory thresholds (see below). (Section 102.166, Florida Statutes)

Note: For all other races, the county canvassing board or the local board responsible for certifying the election are responsible for ordering recounts.

November 18          Ballots from overseas uniformed service members and overseas civilians (UOCAVA voters) must be received by November 18. Ballots must be postmarked or signed and dated no later than the date of the General Election. (Section 101.6952(5), Florida Statutes)

November 20          Official Returns are due from the county canvassing boards no later than noon on November 20. (Section 102.112, Florida Statutes)

November 22           The Elections Canvassing Commission meets to certify the Official Returns for federal, state, and multicounty offices at 9 a.m. on November 22 at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. The Elections Canvassing Commission consists of the Governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the Governor (Section 102.111, Florida Statutes).