Miami election drama: The latest updates

MIAMI, Fla. — A closely contested congressional election in South Florida remains undecided as election officials continue recounting nearly 250,000 ballots in Florida’s 27th Congressional District.

Republican incumbent María Elvira Salazar entered the recount leading Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez by just 1,090 votes, a margin of approximately 0.44 percentage points. Florida law requires an automatic machine recount when the difference is 0.5 percentage points or less.

The recount began Monday at Miami-Dade Elections Headquarters in Doral. Election Day ballots were processed Monday evening, followed by early voting and mail-in ballots. Workers continued the process overnight into Tuesday.

A Federal Court Dispute

The recount has also become the subject of a legal dispute. Rodriguez’s campaign asked a federal judge to remove Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia from the canvassing board, citing concerns about impartiality.

The campaign pointed to Garcia’s reported comments suggesting Salazar had already won and the fact that Garcia’s son-in-law, attorney Robert Fernandez, represents Salazar in the recount matter.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz rejected the request. Although he criticized Garcia’s reported remarks, the judge concluded that the evidence was insufficient to justify removing her from the process.

Garcia has denied any conflict of interest.

What Happens Next?

Election officials are conducting the machine recount to verify the totals. If the final margin is 0.25 percentage points or less, a manual recount may be required under Florida law.

Recount results are due by 3 p.m. Thursday, November 12. Florida is scheduled to certify election results on November 17.

Salazar has claimed victory, but the race has not been officially called. Until the recount is completed and the results confirmed, the final outcome remains unresolved.