The drama surrounding the circumstances of what delayed Florida's election results continued this past weekend, with Florida Gov. Rick Scott requesting a review of the state's voting processes-particularly in areas where voters had to wait four hours or more to vote.
In a statement released by Scott's office Nov. 10, Scott noted that a record 8.5 million-plus Floridians-with another record 4.8 million others in Florida casting early and absentee ballots-voted in the general election, the highest total ever recorded in the Sunshine State's history.
However, due to the long lines and hours of waiting that many state denizens encountered while trying to vote, state officials would be reviewing the voting process around the state.
"I have asked Secretary of State Ken Detzner to review this general election and report on ways we can improve the process after all the races are certified," Scott said in his statement.
"As part of this evaluation, Secretary Detzner will meet with County Election Supervisors, who are elected or appointed to their position - especially those who ran elections in counties where voters experienced long lines of four hours or more," he continued. "We need to make improvements for Florida voters and it is important to look at processes on the state and the county level. We will carefully review suggestions for bettering the voting process in our state."
While virtually every other swing state reported in their results on Election Night Nov. 6, Florida's election was still being counted in several counties into Saturday, when the Florida Secretary of State's Office confirmed that President Barack Obama defeated GOP candidate Mitt Romney by a 50 percent to 49.1 percent margin-a 74,000 ballot difference.
As CNN reported, several changes were made by Florida to its voting procedures. While the state allowed two weeks of early voting during the last election cycle, the state shortened it to eight days this time around, and election boards were allowed to schedule as little as 48 hours of early voting.
Scott's shift in stance this weekend comes on the heels of a differing statement he made in an exclusive interview with the Tampa Bay Times Herald earlier last week, where he defended the state's handling of the election.
"What I'm trying to do is improve the way government works," Scott told the Times-Herald. "I believe in efficiency. I believe every vote has to count. I want to have a good process that people feel good about."
The Times-Herald reported that thousands of Floridians have since bombarded Gov. Scott's with e-mails criticizing his handling of the election- some even promising to vote against him when he seeks re-election in 2014.
Critics have claimed voter suppression, arguing that limited voting sites and a long ballot at the polls were designed by Republicans in power to make it harder for Democrat-leaning voters to cast ballots.
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