Elections
Canvassing Board meets today to count late overseas ballots in the District 4 race. Only 12 had arrived as of Thursday evening.
Joe Vinson leads incumbent Escambia County Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger by 14 votes after the recount. That margin can still change today when the Canvassing Board meets to count late overseas ballots and certify the race.
- As of Thursday evening, only 12 overseas ballots had been received for the District 4 races, according to Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender.
Who’s on the Canvassing Board
- Judge Scott Ritchie, chair
- Robert Bender, Supervisor of Elections
- Jennifer Brahier, Pensacola City Council member
“I’ve Gone Through the Emotional Roller Coaster”
Yesterday morning, I visited with Vinson and asked him about the stress of the recount.
- “I’ve been telling people ever since Tuesday night, I’ve already kind of mentally lost,” he said. “So whatever happens, I’ve already had my anxiety about it. I’ve already gone through the emotional roller coaster of losing or potentially losing. So yeah, I’m optimistic, but whatever happens, I know it’s a close race, and it could really land on either side of it.”
“If I lose, I think there are still ways that we’ve moved the needle, that we’ve started conversations that make it not just a complete loss. There are ways that a defeat can still make a difference.”
| Date | Stage | Hofberger | Vinson | Margin | |
| Nov. 3, election night | First unofficial count, all 19 precincts | 12,947 | 12,936 | Hofberger +11 | |
| Nov. 3–4, overnight | Election Day mail ballots added | 13,020 | 13,017 | Hofberger +3 | |
| Nov. 5, Canvassing Board | 118 District 4 ballots added: provisionals and mail ballots fixed by the 5 p.m. deadline (+48 Hofberger, +70 Vinson) | 13,068 | 13,087 | Vinson +19 (0.08%) | |
| Nov. 7–8, hand review | Ballots the machines read as having too many or no votes in the race; 7 votes assigned (+6 Hofberger, +1 Vinson) | 13,074 | 13,088 | Vinson +14 (0.06%) | |
| Nov. 13 | Overseas/military ballots counted, then certification | — | — | Pending | |
History either way: The newcomer has done better than any other NPA (no party affiliation) commission candidate in Escambia County.
Not Florida’s Closest Local Race
The Florida Times-Union reports that the wait to learn who won a nonpartisan Atlantic Beach Commission race is moving closer to a coin flip.
An overseas ballot could have broken the deadlock between Lisa Herrold and Jennifer Lagner for Seat 4 on the Commission, but the voter marked other races and left theirs blank. Herrold and Lagner each received 3,162 votes after a machine recount and manual review.
Game of chance: If the race is still tied, state election law says a game of chance will decide the winner. It’s scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today, Nov. 13.
D4 Comes Down to the Mail: 9 Overseas Ballots In, 62 Still Out