The Broward State Attorney's Office is reviewing an election night mistake to determine whether legal action is warranted.

Broward State Attorney Michael Satz was asked by the state to review the early posting of elections results on the Broward elections office website Tuesday night. Results from early voting and some mail-in ballots were posted at 6:30 p.m.

State law forbids the posting of results before polls close at 7 p.m.

"We have initiated a review of the matter," state attorney's office spokesman Ron Ishoy said Wednesday morning.

In a brief memo to Satz, Secretary of State Ken Detzner said, "Dear Sir: It has come to my attention that certain election results were released in Broward County prior to the closing of the polls in that county. This is unacceptable. I ask that you investigate this incident to determine whether further legal action is appropriate."

CAPTION Jim DeFede Takes A Look Jim DeFede Takes A Look CAPTION Jim DeFede Takes A Look Jim DeFede Takes A Look CAPTION Silva Harapetian Reports Silva Harapetian Reports CAPTION Jim DeFede Takes A Look Jim DeFede Takes A Look CAPTION Supporters watch election results at a Trump watch party in Elmhurst. Nov. 8, 2016. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune) Supporters watch election results at a Trump watch party in Elmhurst. Nov. 8, 2016. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune) CAPTION Trump was slightly ahead most of the evening, but the contest was so close news organizations didn't declare a winner even when results were in from 99 percent of the state's precincts. Trump was slightly ahead most of the evening, but the contest was so close news organizations didn't declare a winner even when results were in from 99 percent of the state's precincts.

Detzner sent the same memo to Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

It's unclear what the ramifications could be. Elections supervisor Dr. Brenda Snipes' predecessor, Miriam Oliphant, was removed from office by then-Gov. Jeb Bush after widespread elections problems. Bush appointed Snipes to the post.

Florida statute says that no election results "shall be released until after the closing of the polls in that county on Election Day." Any elections supervisor or employee who releases the results "commits a felony of the third degree,'' the law says.

In this case, though, a vendor has taken responsibility for the error.

Mindy Perkins, CEO of VR Systems, told the elections canvassing board in a telephone call Tuesday night that a link to a preview site was made live by mistake.

"A staff member of ours inadvertently created a link that was a preview of the election results that were not intended to be public," Perkins said.

In an affidavit Wednesday, Perkins said the snafu delayed the posting of elections results across the state. VR Systems contracts with 60 of Florida's 67 counties, said Tonya Edwards, a spokeswoman for Snipes. Perkins apologized to the counties in an email Wednesday.

Perkins said in the affidavit that a Broward elections technical employee asked VR to help post the election results link on the Broward elections website because the person hadn't done it yet and wasn't at a computer. The VS technician "mistakenly used an incorrect link" that went live and was publicly viewable at 6:30 p.m., when it was only supposed to allow an in-house preview for elections staff.

Former County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman said she was attending the canvassing board meeting when she was alerted to the early results, and she raised the issue with Snipes and others in the room at about 6:45 p.m.

"They immediately went into a huddle,'' she recalled.

At 6:48 p.m., Perkins says her company received a call from Snipes' office, and the results were removed from the site by 6:50 p.m. But the traffic to the preview site "overtaxed ... the server'' and led to a 23-minute delay posting results in other counties. Broward results were then delayed until 7:52 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Perkins said the mistake was a first, "caused by human error of a support staff member attempting to provide prompt assistance. This mistake is not in keeping with VR's service and performance standards which our customers have come to expect and VR assumes responsibility for this error.''

Snipes won her Democratic primary Tuesday night and faces a write-in in November; Satz was re-elected Tuesday night.

The early results let some candidates know even before voting ended that they'd won. So many people voted early and by mail, the voting trend in many cases held throughout the night.

Nan Rich, a Broward County Commission candidate, said she has a "political whiz" grandson who lives in New York. He called her at 20 minutes before 7 p.m.

"Congratulations, Grandma!" he told her. "It's 70-30!"

She told him that was impossible, that the polls hadn't even closed yet.

Rich ultimately did win the primary with 68.5 percent of the vote against Jim Norton. She faces a write-in candidate in November.

bwallman@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4541. On Twitter @BrittanyWallman and @BrowardPolitics.