With hundreds of uncounted ballots rousted up over the weekend from within the Broward Elections Department building, automatic recounts will resume Tuesday in razor-thin city commission races for Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach.
The Broward Supervisor of Elections’ canvassing board convened Monday afternoon, nearly a week after long voter lines and delays in counting votes in South Florida embarrassed the state, but did not finish the recount.
The recount came as extra batches of ballots were found between Saturday and Monday scattered within the Lauderhill elections department building, according to spokeswoman Mary Cooney.
Every one of the ballots cast in Broward County has been counted, she said Monday.
It is not unusual for some extra ballots, delivered in waves from precincts across Broward County, to be found within the building after any election, Cooney said. In all, “less than 1,000” ballots were found, she said.
“The ballots weren’t lost,’’ she said. “They were here physically in the building.”
Final certification will take place Nov. 18.
In all, 762,035 Broward County voters cast ballots. In the two city races being recounted, those extra ballots could matter.
In Hallandale Beach, where three commission seats were available, Michele Lazarow edged Anthony A. Sanders by just six votes, according to the latest tallies published Monday. While both will serve on the commission, the one with the higher vote total will serve a four-year term; the third place finisher will serve a two-year term.
Hallandale voters cast 16,228 votes overall for commission.
William Julian was the top vote getter with 4,057 votes, or 25 percent of the ballots cast.
In Dania Beach, where voters cast ballots to select three commission members, Chickie Brandimarte beat C.K. “Mac” McElyea by 16 votes for a third open seat.
The top two vote getters: Walter Duke and Albert C. Jones.
Overall, Dania residents cast 15,711 votes for commissioners.
By state law, the races must be recounted through the division’s optical-scanning machines because the margins were at less than a half percentage point. If the margin remains at a quarter-percentage point, a recount will be done by hand.
Broward recount for two city commission seats to resume Tuesday
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Broward recount for two city commission seats to resume Tuesday
