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Henry Woods |
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Henry’s Views |
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The Supervisor of Elections should be doing more than just counting votes. He should be the primary civic educator in our county – providing opportunities for people to learn how to run for office, emphasizing why it is important that people engage in public service, and working for increased voter participation.
Although the Florida election statutes call for minimum voter education standards to be met to ensure that voters have a working knowledge of the voting process, I would expand such voter education efforts to include where possible the following: Nonpartisan seminars to educate potential candidates, campaign managers and treasurers on how to run for public office, Public forums in the three regions of the county to give organized campaigns both in support of and in opposition to individual ballot amendments and initiatives the chance to make a case to voters. Such forums will be coordinated with the Monroe County School District for forum venues and financed when necessary through cooperative agreements sought with local foundations and organized with the assistance of entities such as Leadership Monroe County
In the 2004 general election in Monroe County, the number of voters casting ballots on the constitutional amendments ranged from six to eleven percent LESS than those voting for President on that same ballot. Voters either became fatigued or did not have enough information to vote on the amendments. We can help remedy the latter through public forums like those I describe above. More civic education is needed!
Other educational seminars requested and deemed necessary to encourage voter registration and qualified individuals to pursue public service and that will help to increase voter turnout at elections held at all levels in the county
I believe my twenty-six years of service as a Congressional aide in Washington, my teaching credentials and experience as a political science professor at Florida Keys Community College, my experience in managing a number of campaigns in Monroe County as well as prior to my residing in the Keys give me a keen insight into the workings of this office.
If elected, I pledge to make the following improvements in how the Supervisor of Elections office does business: Re-assess how the absentee balloting process is presently conducted
I pledge to work for stronger restrictions on multiple completed absentee ballots collected and submitted to the Supervisor’s office. State law limits the number of blank absentee ballots that an individual can pick up for others (limited to two – person picking up these ballots must be designated to do so in writing - plus ballots may also be picked up for immediate family members. No such restriction on the return of completed ballots exists, however. This seems most inconsistent and inviting of abuse. In 2002, the Legislature repealed a provision of state election law that had previously restricted the number of completed absentee ballots that could be returned by someone other than the voter himself. I will urge through the state association of Supervisors of Elections that the legislature revisit that issue. Nothing is more important than the integrity of our electoral process.
Make sure that voters - wherever they live in the county - have prompt access to the Supervisor
I pledge to ensure that all offices have access to the Internet for speedy answers and resolution to voter questions and concerns. I also pledge to maintain a published schedule of my presence in each of the three regional offices on a monthly basis to insure that the Supervisor is personally accessible to all voters wherever they may live.
Conduct periodic seminars on the sunshine law and on other election laws as they are adopted in the Legislature
In addition to education efforts mentioned above, seminars would be conducted on a periodic basis on the state’s sunshine law and at such times that the Legislature passes new or revised election law provisions.
Conduct an annual random sample of voters to whom ballots are sent outside the county to insure they are not also registered in another location
I would select one hundred voters annually to whom an absentee ballot is mailed OUTSIDE of Monroe County and ascertain from election officials at that zip code of the voting registration status of said individual. Individuals registered in another state or county in violation of applicable state law would be removed as appropriate from Monroe County voting rolls. This process would help to insure the integrity of our voting rolls. This has been suggested to the current Supervisor whose response has been that there is no national database to check that information. A national database is not needed to do this. Person to person contact between Supervisors of Elections can accomplish this goal. I believe voters in Monroe County want only those truly entitled to vote here casting ballots.
Avoid change of a polling location less than 120 days before an election and conduct an aggressive public information campaign when a polling location has to be changed
Appropriate advertising, signage and postcards would be mailed to every affected voter when a polling place is changed. I would avoid changing sites if at all possible less than four months before an election.
Establish a policy whereby a family member of the Supervisor or office staff member may not serve as treasurer or manager of a campaign which uses the Supervisor’s office in any manner in the conduct of that election
In a recent municipal election in Monroe County, an immediate family member of the Supervisor was the legal treasurer of a candidate’s campaign. This is inappropriate given the Supervisor’s office involvement in all matters pertaining to conduct of said election. Candidates and campaigns need every assurance that the Supervisor and staff are not unduly connected to any campaign.
Poll workers in Monroe County campaigns have been contacting me to point out other problems they have been encountering with our voting process. Examples are as follows:
A voter who has been sent an absentee ballot that was never received (and in some cases never requested) has attempted to vote at his/her regular precinct on Election Day. He has been told that he can only vote a provisional ballot since he got an absentee ballot. This seems to be in conflict with Florida election law. If an individual votes at a regular precinct and an absentee ballot subsequently is received from that voter, the statutes dictate that the absentee ballot be disqualified, but said voter should not be discouraged from voting or told he can only vote a provisional ballot.
At the training session for poll workers prior to the presidential preference primaries earlier this year, the current Supervisor distributed candidate petition cards to support his name being placed on the ballot for the 2008 election. A number of poll workers have expressed to me that this seemed inappropriate and that they felt pressured to sign these petitions lest they lose the opportunity to work the election. I agree that the timing of distributing candidate petitions during this training session was inappropriate.
I also want to point out that it is not my intention to clean house of the staff presently working in the Supervisor’s three offices up and down the Keys should I be fortunate enough to win the support of a majority of voters in this election. It would be foolish for me to eliminate the dedication and expertise that voters tell me that exists among the front-line staff in those offices.
I seek this job because I think I bring new skills and fresh perspectives to the table that will make the office of Supervisor of Elections a more effective part of our democratic system of government.
It has been sixteen years since the voters of Monroe County had a choice for this important office. I ask for your vote on November 4th. |