Diaz-Balart leads by about 1,700 votes as Broward canvassing board reviews questioned ballots

Broward County's election canvassing board met Friday at the Supervisor of Elections office to review questionable ballots from Tuesday's election, as longtime Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart maintains a lead of about 1,700 votes over Democratic newcomer Nicole Locklin in Florida's 26th Congressional District.

The canvassing board — comprising Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott, a county commissioner, and a judge — examined outstanding ballots flagged for various discrepancies, ranging from signature issues to ballots submitted by voters who passed away.

"If it's received before you die, it's accepted," Scott said. "After — it's rejected!"

Scott reported that out of approximately 300 outstanding ballots under review in Broward County, only about 100 were accepted.

The canvassing review follows questions raised by Locklin on Wednesday, after her vote count briefly surged before dropping on election night.

"If they can't explain where 3,000 votes went, they owe me a recount," Locklin said.

The Associated Press told CBS Miami that a data entry error caused an incorrect vote total to briefly appear for Locklin, which was quickly identified and corrected.

Officials in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties indicated Friday that there are not enough outstanding votes remaining to alter the outcome or trigger a recount in the 26th Congressional District.

"If every single ballot was for District 26, it's not enough to change it," Scott said.