UNITED STATES—Florida state Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips has sided with Republican Governor Rick Scott ordering immediate access to all requested information regarding the ballots in Broward County in connection to the ongoing races for Governor and U.S. Senate. The decision was made after an emergency hearing for the lawsuit, Scott vs. Broward County Supervisor of Elections, Brenda Snipes.

Snipes has held the position of Broward County Supervisor of Elections for the past 15 years. She was chosen by Jeb Bush after he removed her predecessor, Miriam Oliphant. She was hired by Bush because she came to them with years of experience to bring a “steadiness to an office reeling from incompetence and misfeasance.”

 

Jeb Bush tweeted, “There is no question that Broward County Supervisor of Elections, Brenda Snipes failed to comply with Florida law on multiple counts, undermining Floridians confidence in our electoral process.  Supervisor Snipes should be removed from her office following the recounts.”

Snipes came out and defended herself on video arguing “[I have] worked in this office nearly 15 years and this is the first time that this office or I have been under such attack.  If we make mistakes, we all make mistakes.”

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson announced on YouTube “He is using his power as Governor to try to undermine this process. God cannot oversee this process in a fair and impartial way, and thus he should remove himself from any role in the recount process.”

Scott told Fox News, “The Governor is not responsible for recounts. My Goal is that we follow the law. We know that Brenda Snipes mixed illegal ballots with legal ballots. We know they have not let party officials in.  The courts have said, follow the law.”

Volunteers have been working tirelessly and are in place to start recounting votes. They are expecting 80 hours or so of counting to meet Florida’s deadline to have all ballots counted by the Thursday, November 15 deadline.