The state of Florida has ordered recounts for three midterm elections, including US Senate and gubernatorial races.

Florida law mandates a machine recount if the difference in a race is within 0.5 percent, and a hand recount if it is within 0.25 percent.

The recounts are reminiscent of the 2000 presidential election that saw Florida play a pivotal role in the outcome of that race between Republican victor, former President George W. Bush, and Democratic candidate Al Gore.

Police protection

Police had to protect the offices of Broward County's elections supervisor after scores of Trump supporters gathered outside and accused officials of attempting to steal the vote.

The protests were fueled by allegations of electoral fraud by US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio. However, the allegations were quashed by electoral and law enforcement officials, who said there was no evidence to support the rumors.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers First-time winners: Native American women enter Congress Deb Haaland, a Democrat from New Mexico, became one of the first Native American women to be elected to the US Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections. The 57-year-old member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe in New Mexico was one of three female Native American candidates running for Congress — a record number.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers Another first for a Native American woman Sharice Davids, also a Democrat and also Native American, beat her Republican opponent in Kansas to be elected to the House. She identifies as lesbian and is therefore also the first LGBT member of Congress from her state. A former mixed martial arts fighter, she is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a Native American tribe in Wisconsin.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers The youngest-ever congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year old from the Bronx, New York, became the youngest person to ever be elected to the US Congress. A Democrat, she is associated with the more progressive wing of the party and was endorsed by former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers The first openly gay governor Jared Polis, 43, is the first openly gay person to be elected governor in the United States after winning his race in the state of Colorado. The self-made millionaire and tech entrepreneur was admitted to Princeton when he was 16-years-old. A Democrat, he represented Colorado in the House for five terms before being elected governor.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers First Muslim-American congresswomen Rashida Tlaib is one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to the US House of Representatives. The 42-year-old is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Born and raised in Detroit, she already broke records by becoming the first female Muslim to be elected as State Representative in Michigan in 2008.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers The first Somali-American congresswoman Ilhan Omar, 36, is also one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Omar fled Somalia with her family when she was 8-years-old. She lived in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the US in 1997. A Democrat, she will represent Minnesota in the House.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers A lost opportunity for a Democratic darling Beto O'Rourke, a little-known congressman and former punk-rock musician, rose to popularity in his home-state of Texas and across the US. He ran a surprisingly close race for a Senate seat against incumbent Ted Cruz, who is a former Republican presidential candidate. Despite losing this election, O'Rourke is seen by many as a future leader in the Democratic party.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers A missed chance for former Marine pilot Amy McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot, stood a good chance of ousting three-time Republican congressman Andy Barr in Kentucky. Despite being a top candidate for the Democrats, McGrath did not manage to win in the southern state where Trump won the presidential vote by 16 points in 2016.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers When Obama's endorsement isn't enough Andrew Gillum had been endorsed by former President Barack Obama, but failed to become Florida's first African-American governor. Gillum, who is mayor of Tallahassee, suffered a close defeat to Republican Ron DeSantis.

US midterm elections 2018: Winners and losers Vermont doesn't elect transgender governor Despite Vermont being a traditionally progressive state, Christine Hallquist failed to oust Republican Phil Scott from the governor's spot. If she had won, Hallquist would have become the first openly transgender governor in the US. Author: Giulia Saudelli



What are the differences?

For the Senate race, outgoing Republican Governor Rick Scott currently leads with 12,562 votes over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson out of nearly 8.2 million cast, amounting to a 0.15 percent difference.

For the governor's race, Republican Ron DeSantis leads with 33,684 votes over Democrat Andrew Gillum out of nearly 8.2 million cast, amounting to a 0.41 percent difference.

Read more: After US midterms, hate crime survivors hope for improvement, reconciliation

Trump alleges fraud

Parties have alleged electoral fraud on both sides of the aisle, most notably in the counties of Broward and Palm Beach, where Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is located.

Tweeting from France on Saturday, Trump decried the recounts and accused authorities of "trying to steal two big elections in Florida." He warned that "we are watching closely."

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner, however, has denied such allegations. "Our staff has seen no evidence of criminal activity at this time," he said.

Read more: Has US voter suppression become systematic?

What happens next?

Electoral authorities have until 3 p.m. local time on Thursday to deliver results. In Miami-Dade County, Elections Supervisor Christina White said she had ordered high-speed ballot counting machines to be delivered by Monday. Without them, Miami-Dade would be unable to count all the votes, she said.

"There is literally not enough time to scan 813,000 ballots in the five days we have," White told the Miami Herald newspaper. "Mathematically, it's impossible."

Read more: Opinion: Trump fever unbroken amid blue ripple in US midterm elections

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ls/jm (Reuters, AFP)