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Elections supervisors: Worst nightmare would be last-minute lawsuit or torrent of misinformation

Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox, president-elect of the Florida Supervisors of Elections, says last-minute vote-by-mail ballots could cause a slight delay in results for some larger counties.
Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox, president-elect of the Florida Supervisors of Elections, says last-minute vote-by-mail ballots could cause a slight delay in results for some larger counties.

In a press conference over Zoom Monday, leaders of the Florida Supervisors of Elections association urged patience with results from the General Election and trust in your local supervisor.

Their worst nightmare would be a last-minute lawsuit throwing a wrench in the system or a flood of disinformation.

Wesley Wilcox of Marion County and Mark Earley from Leon say voters will need to have patience with the vote-counting process.

It could take longer in large counties -- like the traffic jams in those areas -- as last-minute vote-by-mail ballots are counted.

Some of those ballots could be counted the next morning, Earley says.

"Our focus is on getting this right, not getting it done as fast as possible to satisfy all the voices out there," Earley said.

They're working with law enforcement to make sure voters are safe. And Earley says they don't want "party heads" trying to help them out.

"We don't need help, OK," he said. "More people with high emotion levels is not a recipe for helping a supervisor of elections office."

 

Joe Byrnes came to Central Florida Public Media from the Ocala Star-Banner and The Gainesville Sun, where he worked as a reporter and editor for several years. Joe graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and turned to journalism after teaching. He enjoys freshwater fishing and family gatherings.