DeSantis on claims that election results 'could take a while': 'Outrageous'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on strengthening election laws in the Sunshine State, confidence in a safe and fair election nationwide and a New York Times article stating there could potentially be no clear winner on election night.
Finding out who will be America's 47th president could take quite some time after election night, if speculations from a recent New York Times article prove true.
With just over 50 days left until voters head to the ballot box in droves, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says taking the counting beyond election night is "outrageous."
"You'll have one candidate that may have a big lead because of Election Day votes and then people wake up the next morning and say, 'Yeah, my candidate's up 6%,' and then they keep counting the next day, and then they count more the next day, and then the lead flips," he told "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Family Leaders Thanksgiving Family Forum, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
"Even if there was nothing [wrong], even if it was all on the up and up, that destroys confidence on how these elections happen," he continued. "So any of those states that are doing what The New York Times is saying, they are absolutely killing public trust in these elections."
"Count the votes on election night and report the results."
HOUSE DEMS LAUNCH UNITED EFFORT AGAINST ELECTION BILL REQUIRING VOTERS PROVE CITIZENSHIP
An election worker flattens ballots during the 2024 Pennsylvania primary election at the City of Philadelphia's Election Warehouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Ballot counting could take some time this election, especially with a larger number of mail-in ballots. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Times article, published Friday, suggested the trend for the 2020 presidential election could echo into the 2024 faceoff, with an increasing likelihood that there will be "no clear and immediate winner on election night" and that "early returns could give a false impression of who will ultimately prevail."
The lengthy return times and the blue or red election night mirage are predominantly credited to an increasing use of mail-in ballots over traditional in-person voting.
DeSantis pledged to reiterate the Sunshine State's example from 2020 this time, by having the ballots counted and a clear winner of the state's 30 electoral votes declared before the end of the night.
"We can't be in a situation where you don't get the results for a few days. What is going on in those few days? Where are these votes coming from? Florida will report the results on election night. You can take that to the bank," he pledged.
The Republican-led state has taken measures to heighten election security, including requiring voter ID for each ballot cast and ensuring illegal immigrants and other non-citizens do not vote.
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