TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida election officials on Thursday were racing toward a deadline to finish a recount of ballots in close races for the U.S. Senate and governor's seat, and a federal judge expressed frustration with an election system he called "the laughing stock of the world."
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee, Florida, cleared the way to include ballots from as many as 5,000 people across the state who submitted ballots by mail that were rejected by election officials. A Georgia federal judge issued a similar ruling as that state worked to resolve a close governor's race.