Scott Campaign Accuses Mucarsel-Powell of Breaking Law at Polling Station

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is calling out his opponent, former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), for allegedly violating Sunshine State election laws as it appears she filmed herself inside a polling location. This is against Florida Statute 102.031(5) which states:

“No photography is permitted in the polling room or early voting area, except an elector may photograph his or her own ballot.”

Former Rep. Mucarsel-Powell posted a video seemingly inside a polling station in anticipation of her casting her ballot early. It has since been deleted.

“I’m about to cast my ballot, and I am honored and emotional thinking about every Floridian who voted to get us to this point. Let’s bring this home, Florida,” said Mucarsel-Powell.

The Scott campaign described this moment not only as a violation of Florida law but also insinuated that she “flagrantly violated the trust of the voters by impeding on their right to a secret ballot.”

Scott Campaign Spokesman Jonathan Turcotte stated:

“Debbie Mucarsel-Powell must be held accountable for blatantly violating Florida election law in a desperate attempt to draw attention to her failing campaign. We also fully expect the Miami Supervisor of Elections to immediately condemn her for not only breaking the law, but also for violating so many voters’ right to privacy. No one is above the law, including Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.”

In the latest polling average from Real Clear Politics, Sen. Scott holds a 5-point lead over Mucarsel-Powell, with leads in some individual polls as large as 9 points (NYT/Siena) and as small as 2 points (Marist).

However, Scott holds a 51-44% (5% undecided) lead over Mucarsel-Powell in AIF’s Q4 Statewide General Election Poll.

But the lead for the Republican candidate has dwindled a small amount since the AIF Q3 Poll was released a couple of months ago. In early August, Sen. Scott maintained a 10-point lead (52-42%) over the former congresswoman.

These small changes could be linked to natural fluctuation in polling due to the diversity of respondents. However, it could be due to a legitimate change in the minds of the electorate, and support for Harris and Mucarsel-Powell is rising.