With their call for a recount in Florida, a group of voters may hope to encourage a push for change in voting procedure – even if the recount itself is a long shot. Citing concerns about hacking, malfunctioning voting machines, and voters being turned away, three central Florida voters have brought a lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, and the Sunshine State’s 29 Republican electors. They are calling for a hand recount of all paper ballots, to be paid for by the defendants. The group’s lawyer, Clint Curtis, acknowledged that Mr. Trump, Governor Scott, and others can ignore the recount request entirely. But the suit, the latest of several to question the 2016 election results, may strengthen calls to address election issues.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who has been at the forefront of efforts to audit the vote in close states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, has called the recounts “part of an election integrity movement to attempt to shine a light on just how untrustworthy the US election system is.” Experts say a combination of legal and technical changes could improve the situation before the next federal election in 2018.
“This is a time for patriots of all political stripes to stand up for the national interest in cyber-secure elections,” writes Candice Hoke, professor of law at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Ohio and co-founder of Cleveland State University’s Center for Election Integrity, in an email to The Christian Science Monitor.
Full Article: Florida voters challenge for recount: A call to address election issues? (+video) – CSMonitor.com.