Florida election results 2012: Florida Governor Rick Scott orders voting process review

(CNN) -- Gov. Rick Scott of Florida on Saturday said he requested a review of his state's voting processes with a particular emphasis on areas where voters waited four hours or longer to cast their ballots.

"We are glad that so many voters made their voices heard in this election, but as we go forward we must see improvements in our election process," Scott said in a statement. "I have asked Secretary of State Ken Detzner to review this general election and report on ways we can improve the process after all the races are certified."

More than 8.5 million votes were cast this year, Scott said, an increase from the approximately 8.3 million Florida ballots cast in 2008.

But last cycle, the state allowed two weeks of early voting, which was shortened this year to eight days. Election boards were permitted to schedule as little as 48 hours of early voting.

"As part of this evaluation, Secretary Detzner will meet with county election supervisors, who are elected or appointed to their position -- especially those who ran elections in counties where voters experienced long lines of four hours or more," the Florida Republican said in his statement. "We need to make improvements for Florida voters and it is important to look at processes on the state and the county level. We will carefully review suggestions for bettering the voting process in our state."

President Barack Obama noted the long lines encountered by voters in several states in his election night remarks.

"I want to thank every American who participated in this election," he said in Chicago early Wednesday morning. "Whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time -- by the way, we have to fix that."

A previous review ordered by Scott drew controversy over the summer.

The governor directed that local election boards review their voter rolls and remove names of people who appeared to be ineligible.

CNN projected earlier on Saturday that Obama narrowly won the presidential race in the state.

-- CNN's Gregory Wallace and Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
 
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