Meanwhile, lawyers for Democrats planned to ask a federal judge on Wednesday to set aside the state law mandating that mailed-in votes be thrown out if the signature on the envelope doesn't match the signature on file with election authorities. An employee at the Broward County's elections office cleans machines during the recount. Credit:AP The developments are sure to fuel frustrations among Democrats and Republicans as the recount unfolds more than a week after Election Day. Democrats have urged state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every vote is counted. But Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. The state elections department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, both run by Republican appointees, have said they have seen no evidence of voter fraud. A Broward County judge challenged anyone who has evidence of fraud to file a report. Florida's Rick Scott (right) arrived for the first day of the new Congress on Wednesday despite the result not being finalised yet. Credit:AP

As it all plays out, the Republican candidates for governor and Senate, Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott, still hold the narrowest of leads over their Democratic counterparts, Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson. While the counting goes on, there are now four lawsuits pending in a Tallahassee federal court that seek to throw out ballot counting rules or extend the Thursday 5pm deadline for recounts. Marc Elias, a campaign attorney for Nelson, argued ahead of the looming court battle that "we should all be able to agree that the goal here is a legal and accurate count". Republicans have responded by contending that Democrats want to bend or skirt existing election laws to alter the outcome. The recount continued at Broward County on Wednesday. Credit:AP "We got to keep the heat on these people to make sure they follow the law," said Republican US Congressman Francis Rooney to reporters on a recount update organised by Scott's campaign.

At the Broward County elections centre, about 30 workers gathered around a dozen counting machines counting ballots on Wednesday morning. The process resembled feeding documents into a photocopier - they placed stacks into feeders, which run through about two or three ballots per second. Then workers grab another stack and repeat the process. Trump on Tuesday called on Democratic Nelson to admit that he lost his re election bid. Presidents have historically sought to rise above the heated partisan drama surrounding election irregularities. Former president Barack Obama wasn't so publicly involved when a recount and legal process in the 2008 election delayed a Democrat taking a Minnesota Senate seat until July 2009. Former president Bill Clinton struck a lower tone during the 2000 presidential recount, which also centred on Florida. But this Florida recount has been personal for Trump. He aggressively campaigned in the state, putting his finger on the scales of the Republican gubernatorial primary this summer by endorsing DeSantis. After Election Day, Trump's aides pointed to the GOP's seeming success in the state as a validation that the President's path to re-election remained clear - a narrative that has grown hazier as the outcomes have become less certain.

White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp said on Tuesday the President "obviously has his opinion" on the recount. Loading "It's been incredibly frustrating to watch," she said. US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump is attempting to bully Florida election officials out of doing their jobs. "It's just plain wrong. It's un-American," Schumer said. "If he really wants an honest and fair election, President Trump will stop bullying, harassing and lying about the vote in Florida, and let the election proceed without the heavy hand of the President tipping the scale of justice."