USA TODAY International Edition
Other views: Here we go again. Medicate, and cover your chads.
Carl Hiaasen, Miami Herald: “Whenever you see the words ‘Florida' and ‘recount' in the same headline, it's time to start self-medicating — and cover your chads. For most of the country, the grinding, venomous 2018 midterms are over — but not here, in the dependably confused Sunshine State . ... In Florida, a full recount is initiated when the spread is .5 percent or less. You might be wondering if Gov. Rick Scott's campaign team misplaced their calculators last Tuesday night, because they sent out their beaming candidate to give a victory speech. If he ends up losing, the celebratory video will become an iconic political relic, like the ‘Dewey Defeats Truman' front page from 1948.”
Carter Eskew, The Washington Post: “In 2018, the Republican playbook may not work in Florida. But if it does not result in the election of Scott and Ron DeSantis, then Plan B will go into effect: Millions of Floridians will believe that neither Nelson nor Andrew Gillum hold office legitimately. And that is what is so disgusting and dangerous about this Florida election redux: Republicans want to win by stopping the votes from being accurately tallied, or they want to ‘win' by neutering their opponents if they should prevail. Either way, democracy loses. Again.”
Patrick Murphy, USA TODAY: “My vote on Nov. 6 may not end up being counted. But we have too much at stake at this time in our nation's history ... to unfairly push people to the sidelines who want their voices heard. It is imperative that we treat the right to vote as the most sacred right of all.”
Mary Anne Marsh, FoxNews.com: “Republicans prevailed by restricting the number of votes counted in 2000. That won't work in 2018. Voters now see the efforts Republicans have gone to in the last 18 years to restrict voting, actively engaging in voter suppression, dropping voters from voter registration files, gerrymandering, and other actions that make it harder to vote and interfere when they are counted . ... Counting every vote, properly and fairly, is the most basic tenet of democracy. Our democracy is at stake today.”