Florida Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Rick Scott filed lawsuits Thursday night against election supervisors in two Florida counties. He alleges both are violating state law by not being transparent about their respective vote counts, which are still ongoing.
"I will not sit idly by while unethical liberals try to steal this election from the great people of Florida," Scott said. "Every Floridian should be concerned there may be rampant fraud happening in Palm Beach and Broward Counties."
Scott, who ran against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, claimed victory in the race for U.S. Senate Tuesday night.
But as ballots continue to be counted, the margin between the two candidates has decreased to less than half a percent of each other — which allows for an automatic recount. As of early Thursday, Nelson is trailing Scott by roughly 15,000 votes, which is equal to 0.18 percent.
While speaking to reporters Thursday, Scott alleged that officials in both Palm Beach and Broward counties were "mysteriously finding more votes" to sway the election result in favor of Nelson. Scott — who was speaking in his capacity as a Senate candidate and not as Florida governor — said he's asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into the matter.
CNN attempted to speak to Brenda Snipes, the Broward County supervisor of elections, but she said she wouldn't comment on Scott's lawsuit.
Nelson's campaign dismissed Scott's actions, saying they appear "to be politically motivated and borne out of desperation."
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
