Some good calls, some bad, in election
The setting is not a romantic getaway in the Caribbean, but a warehouse in Lauderhill. The programming can’t compete with the glitz of, say, The Bachelorette, but The Broward County Canvassing Board is important viewing. Day after day, three people sit at a table to review mail ballots set aside for review. Some have signature problems. Others have votes for two candidates in the same race — or weirder still, a filled-in oval for one and a write-in vote for another. The Broward trio, who must ensure signature validity and divine voter intent, consists of County Judge Ken Gottlieb, County Commissioner Michael Udine and Supervisor of Elections Pete Antonacci — people with no personal stake in the outcome.
In the close elections that Florida is so famous for, canvassing boards are critically important. Their work needs to be visible so that voters can trust the outcome. To his credit, Antonacci not only live-streams board meetings, but posts previous meetings and minutes on the elections website. Udine provides updates on his Twitter account. That’s the kind of transparency and accountability we need more of in Florida elections.
Bad: Secrecy in Jacksonville
By contrast, the people of Jacksonville are victimized daily by the imperious decisions of Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan, who has barred photographers from the Duval County canvassing board’s public meetings, in clear violation of Florida’s “sunshine” law. The law prohibits the copying or photographing of voters’ signatures, but as the Florida Times-Union points out, that’s a small part of the board’s work.
Hogan, a former state Republican legislator, also discontinued early voting at Edward Waters College, a historically black college in the city.
And only this week did he begin to live-stream board meetings — a process Broward began two months ago.
Even worse, the Times Union reported Thursday that County Judge Brent Shore, chairman of the canvassing board, repeatedly donated to President Trump’s reelection campaign and covered his property with Trump-Pence campaign signs. Hours after the disclosure, the judge resigned.
In this election, look for Jacksonville to be the new Broward.
Bad: Broward’s indoor drop boxes
Despite the transparency of its canvassing board, Broward failed voters by placing drop boxes for mail-in ballots inside its 22 early voting sites, forcing voters at high risk for COVID-19 to navigate early voters. By contrast, neighboring Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties allow voters to drive up and drop off ballots outside.
Antonacci’s spokesman, Steve Vancore, said outdoor drop boxes are risky because heat and humidity can make the ink on ballots smear or “bleed,” making them difficult to scan. Yet when voting rights groups called for more drive-through options this week, Vancore reminded them that voters can always place their ballots in one of the hundreds of blue mail boxes maintained — outside — by the Postal Service.
It’s too late to risk mailing your ballot. If nervous about going inside, visit the Voting Equipment Center in Lauderhill or the main elections office in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Outdoor drop boxes are available there.
Good: Judicial wisdom in cases
Twice this week, Florida courts — one in Tallahassee, one in Fort Lauderdale — acted with restraint on election cases.
A unanimous Florida Supreme Court wisely dismissed a Republican-backed lawsuit that seeks to invalidate a ballot initiative that asks voters to open primary elections to all voters, regardless of party. The lawsuit was based on the unproven argument that open primaries, where the top two vote-getters advance to November, make it harder for Black candidates to win. Justices said the last-minute challenge to Amendment 3 had no merit.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, Cabinet members and Secretary of State Laurel Lee urged the high court to dismiss the lawsuit, whose supporters include Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor — putting the likely next House speaker at odds with fellow Republican DeSantis. It was disappointing to see Democratic Sen. Janet Cruz of Tampa, a conscientious lawmaker, join the charade. This lawsuit is largely about the two major political parties trying to protect their shrinking turf.
In the other case, Weston and six other cities argued that votes for a Broward County charter amendment should not be counted because the ballot language is misleading. The county wants the power to override city zoning laws for transportation projects funded by a voter-approved sales tax increase.
“Why does this have to be decided today?” Circuit Judge David Haimes asked during an online hearing on Wednesday, six days before election day. “Everything could be moot based on what voters decide.”
We agree with the cities: this ballot question misleads voters. But in a Covid-driven political atmosphere, a majority of voters have already voted, so let them be heard. Besides, the county, to its credit, has stipulated that if the amendment passes and Haimes rules in favor of the cities, it will not implement the zoning override while the case is on appeal.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O’Hara, Dan Sweeney, Steve Bousquet and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.