Allen West Files Recount Injunction

Tea Party darling Rep. Allen West yesterday filed an injunction demanding a full recount of early votes in Florida's St. Lucie Country.  Election officials this weekend declared West the loser, but he has refused to concede.

A partial recount of early votes on Sunday showed Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy losing 667 votes and West losing 132 — a net gain of 535 votes for West that reduced Murphy’s small lead in the congressional District 18 race. “It stands to reason that if the remaining early votes were to be recounted, additional errors would be uncovered and the tabulation of votes revised accordingly,” a statement from West’s campaign said. “Until these remaining early ballots are recounted, however, the Canvassing Board has arbitrarily applied differing counting standards to similarly situated ballots. The erroneous decision of St. Lucie County to ‘re-feed’ only some of the early votes cast in this election violates the Florida Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection to voters.”

Right wing sites continue to closely follow West's saga, claiming his race is emblematic of Democratic voter fraud nationwide.  West's injunction calls for a recount of more than 37,000 early votes.