LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A razor-thin Republican primary contest for Florida’s Congressional District 11 is headed back through the counting machines, as the Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office begins a required recount in the race between Joe Strada and Carey Baker.
Unofficial totals from across the district put Strada narrowly in front, with 27,389 votes to Baker’s 26,996. The 393-vote gap amounts to roughly 0.48%, placing the race within the threshold that automatically triggers a recount under Florida election law.
Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays explained that Florida requires a machine recount whenever the winning margin is one-half of 1% or smaller, unless the candidate who is behind formally waives the recount in writing.
“The Florida Statutes, Chapter 102.141, tell us that if the margin of victory in any particular contest is one-half of 1% or less, then we must do a machine recount,” Hays said. “Unless the person with the fewest number of votes sends a letter to the Secretary of State saying, ‘Don’t bother to do the recount. I accept the results.’”
Because no waiver letter was submitted, the Florida Secretary of State directed elections officials throughout Congressional District 11 to recount the ballots in the Republican race.
In Lake County, that means election workers are running nearly 28,000 Republican ballots back through tabulation equipment. Hays said staff members must first sort out the Republican ballots before retabulating the votes cast in the District 11 contest.
The process could extend beyond the machine recount. If the updated districtwide margin tightens to 0.25% or less, Florida law would require a manual review of overvotes and undervotes.
Hays said an overvote occurs when a voter selects more candidates than permitted in a race, while an undervote is recorded when a voter does not choose any candidate in that contest.
“These machines are so sensitive that they will pick up just a little pin drop of ink on that oval,” Hays said, adding that a canvassing board can review ballots to determine voter intent.
The winner of the Republican race will advance to the November general election. The seat is currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, who first entered Congress in 2011 and has represented District 11 since 2017. Webster is retiring when his current term ends.
Recount results must be submitted to the state by 3 p.m. Sunday.
