Florida election official Brenda Snipes rescinds resignation after governor moves to immediately suspend her

Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes has rescinded her resignation after Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) moved to immediately suspend her.
Snipes’s attorney announced Saturday that the elections chief would fight Scott’s order, saying the governor intended to embarrass and “tarnish [Snipes’s] record.”
{mosads}“Dr. Snipes hereby rescinds her resignation,” attorney Burnadette Norris-Weeks said, according to NBC News.
Snipes originally announced her resignation last month after Republicans in the state accused her of illegal activity during the tense recounts of the Florida Senate and gubernatorial races, and was set to step down in January.
Scott, who is leaving his post to become senator, issued an executive order on Friday ordering Snipes to be immediately removed and replaced over “widespread issues with voting.”
“Every eligible voter in Florida deserves their vote to be counted and should have confidence in Florida’s elections process,” Scott said in his statement announcing the order.
“After a series of inexcusable actions, it’s clear that there needs to be an immediate change in Broward County and taxpayers should no longer be burdened by paying a salary for a Supervisor of Elections who has already announced resignation,” he added.
Snipes faced significant criticism from Republicans during the recounts, with some, including President Trump, alleging voter fraud in the county.
Snipes’ office did not report updated results as often as required by law, and the elections supervisor acknowledged that the office could not find over 2,000 ballots from the first vote count while conducting a machine recount.
Snipes said that the “incidents” taking place in her office during the midterms were treated differently than similar errors occurring with past supervisors.
“I don’t know why we get a bigger spotlight than some,” she said.
Snipes has been accused of misconduct in past elections, and earlier this year a circuit judge ruled that her office violated state and federal law by destroying 2016 election ballots too early.
Florida law enforcement has not found evidence of criminal conduct such as alleged voter fraud in the state’s midterm elections, or in the recount, which were both ultimately won by Republicans.
The accusations of voter fraud from Trump and other top Republicans have not been substantiated.
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