RUTHFULLY YOURS

The Miami Herald reports:

A Broward judge on Monday turned down Gov. Rick Scott’s request to “impound and secure” all voting machines in Broward’s elections headquarters when they’re not being used to recount ballots.

But Circuit Judge Jack Tuter offered a compromise: Add three Broward Sheriff’s deputies to the current lineup of [Broward Sheriff’s Office] officers and private security guards overseeing the recount under way at the county’s election’s center in Lauderhill.

Tuter stopped short of granting the Scott campaign’s request for an injunction to impound the machines, but agreed with his lawyers that “there needs to be an additional layer of confidence” in the vote-recount system in Broward. The votes in the U.S. Senate race between Scott and incumbent Bill Nelson are part of the recount.

The judge is correct about a lack of confidence that Broward officials will conduct a fair and competent count. A Journal editorial on Saturday summarized the jurisdiction’s disturbing recent history of legal violations. This morning Politico’s Marc Caputo wrote that a change in leadership is imminent:

Counting unlawful votes. Destroying ballots. Sunshine Law violations. Busted deadlines.

So many controversies have bedeviled Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes — culminating in her office’s troubles in the aftermath of Florida’s chaotic 2018 elections — that her days in office are now numbered, insiders and lawmakers say.

She’s losing support from fellow Democrats and faces the increasing likelihood of an embarrassing suspension from office at the hands of either Gov. Rick Scott or his likely successor, Ron DeSantis.

As far as this column can tell Ms. Snipes remains on the job. In recent days her office has repeatedly violated state law on the timely reporting of results and other requirements. “Whoops! Brenda Snipes’ office mixed bad provisional ballots with good ones,” announced a Saturday headline in the Miami Herald.

Delays in reporting results in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2012 and 2016 might have inspired Broward citizens to demand better, and as recently as this past August it was clear that the county was still failing to fulfill its responsibilities. That’s when Miami public broadcaster WLRN reported:

A ballot counting snafu changed the outcome of at least one race in Tuesday’s primary election and left critics questioning how things were being run at the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office.

Fred Bellis, a spokesman for Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, said Wednesday that nothing was amiss.

But several observers noticed the numbers weren’t adding up on the elections website, with a marked discrepancy between voter turnout and number of votes cast.

“There was a 9,000 difference — voter turnout was higher than votes cast,” said Jason Blank, an attorney representing a judicial candidate who was losing Tuesday night and winning by Wednesday afternoon. “It raised some flags and some concern.”

It sure did. And the aftermath of last week’s elections have raised many more red flags. But now Judge Tuter thinks that confidence will be restored by adding personnel from the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Yes, the same crew that enabled the horror at Parkland High School in February and where chief Scott Israel escaped accountability and remains on the job is now supposed to ensure an appropriate outcome in the elections for governor, U.S. senator and other offices. If Mr. Israel’s team botches this one, history suggests he will escape accountability again.