This election has shattered all historical context,'' said state Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe. Duval is a focus of particular scrutiny when it comes to overseas ballots because of the area's heavy Navy presence. In the past two elections, the county's overseas votes have been among the highest in Florida. In 1992, nearly 300 Duval ballots were part of 3,100 statewide. Some voters selected too many candidates for president, and some didn't select one at all.
State law calls for all their votes to be discarded.
Local officials and community leaders were upset to learn 42 percent of the stricken votes came from the four City Council districts that are largely Democratic and black. So the overseas ballot count will be closely watched by them, too. It's going to be the news media. It's going to be us. Of the Duval ballots already received, about 100 could be invalidated because they lack the legally required foreign postmark or were executed after Election Day, Stafford said.