The Allen West for Congress campaign reported it has filed a complaint in circuit court in Saint Lucie County, Florida, seeking a preliminary injunction ordering a recount of all votes cast in his contest during early voting and stopping the election results from being certified until such recount is completed.
The press release described the recount by the Saint Lucie County Canvassing Board on Sunday, November 11, 2012, noting that a ”limited, partial re-feed — not conducted pursuant to any statute — uncovered significant errors in the initial tabulation of votes. Nearly 1,000 votes disappeared from the count, and neither the Canvassing Board nor the Supervisor provided any explanation for this selective recount.” The West campaign also claims this recount was in violation of Florida’s Open Meeting Law, Florida’s Sunshine Law, and the Florida Constitution because it was conducted “behind closed doors and without providing the required notice to the public.”
Sunday, November 11, the date of the partial recount, was Veterans Day. A check with Saint Lucie County’s main telephone number confirmed only Parks and Recreation were open on the holiday weekend. All other offices were closed.
The New American called the Saint Lucie County Elections Supervisor’s office multiple times to ask for comment. The calls were not answered. On the last attempt, after approximately 27 rings, a recorded message said the voice mail box was full.
A group of protesters gathered outside the Saint Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office calling for a full recount. According to WPEC-TV the protesters included Tea Party members from Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach as well as veterans. Congressman Allen West is a military veteran. He retired from the Army at the rank of lieutenant colonel. One of the protesters shown in WPEC-TV’s online coverage was carrying a sign that read, “True The Vote.”
Photo of Florida election workers counting ballots: AP Images
