Voter advocacy groups are suing Republican Gov. Rick Scott in Florida’s Senate race.
They want Scott to stay out of the ballot counting process.
The League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause filed the lawsuit on behalf of voters in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida.
The lawsuit asks the federal court to prevent the governor from using his powers to influence the too-close-to-call race against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson.
The lawsuit describes Scott’s actions as “extreme,” especially his request that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigate ballot-counting Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Scott raised the notion of fraud, but no evidence has been found.
Close margins in Florida’s Senate, gubernatorial and agriculture commissioner races forced recounts that began over the weekend.
In other news, Nelson is asking Scott to recuse himself from any role in the recount in Florida’s Senate race.
“Scott cannot oversee this process in a fair and impartial way, and thus he should remove himself from any role in the recount process so the people can have confidence in the integrity of the election,” Nelson said.
Scott holds a slim lead in the too-close-to-call race. The first phase in the recount is scheduled to conclude later this week. Scott’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Copyright 2018 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7