US election: Joe Biden lines up 4,000 lawyers in Florida amid vote recount fears

Joe Biden has 4,000 lawyers standing by or already working in Florida in case Donald Trump calls for a vote recount in the so-called Sunshine State.

The Democratic presidential nominee and his party have been arranging “outsize financial and legal resources” to “either avert or prepare for” a recount, which would automatically be triggered if the final margin between the two contenders in the pivotal state is half a percentage point or less, New York Magazine reports.

As part of a push to secure a clear victory in Florida, Biden’s attorneys are examining ballot designs and monitoring officials who have been counting the state’s early votes, as well as keeping a close eye on canvassing boards.

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“The Biden team clearly understands that in the Trump organisation, they’re not just going up against someone who challenges the rule of law but who does not believe in the rule of law,” Fernand Amandi, a veteran Florida pollster and strategist, told the mag.

Democrats are still haunted by the legal tussling between George W. Bush and Al Gore in Florida in 2000. The conflict ended with the Supreme Court handing the state and the presidency to Bush.

Fears have risen that tomorrow’s election could also descend into chaos after Trump reportedly told confidants that he plans to declare victory on Tuesday night if it looks like he’s “ahead”, Axois says.

The president has publicly vowed that his campaign would challenge either the results or post-election day vote-counting in several states.

Biden has a healthy national lead in the latest polls, but his advantage is narrower in key states that could decide who takes the White House.