We can avoid another Broward election laughingstock

On March 17, Broward may be the laughingstock of the nation again for its voting and election process. That’s because the county’s new supervisor of elections, Pete Antonacci, is making the same mistakes of the past.

Four years ago, I ran for the elected post and chided then elections supervisor Brenda Snipes for her lack of interest in working to increase Broward voter turnout by every means at her disposal. Turnout had been below the statewide average for almost every election during her 15 years in office. I believed then, as I do now, that the office can and must do more to increase turnout.

The elections office should use every tool available to boost and not suppress the vote. In my campaign, I presented a host of creative ideas that earned the support of many community leaders and elected officials who all recognized the greater role

Broward, through its vote, can and should play in Florida elections — if only we could unleash voter turnout. The Sun Sentinel endorsed many of my ideas and my candidacy.

At the time, Snipes was not scheduling the maximum hours and days allowable by Florida law for early voting and not staggering the hours, as did Miami, to make early voting more accessible to working people. Antonacci, who Gov. Rick Scott appointed to the position in December 2018, is doing no better.

Antonacci has scheduled only nine days of early voting (March 7-15) at 22 locations, while the law allows 14 days and, on all days, they are only open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. These hours are hardly convenient for working people.

By contrast, the supervisor of elections in Miami-Dade County is continuing to hold 14 days of early voting (March 2-15) and staggers the hours from 7a.m-3pm the first week and 11a.m.-7 p.m. during the second week to maximize access for working people, mothers and seniors. On Saturday and Sunday, early voting is open from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Miami-Dade gets an “A” and Broward a “C+” at best for running elections accessible to voters.

Broward voters deserve an election supervisor dedicated to running objectively fair elections with accurate and efficient counts, while maximizing voter turnout not perpetuating ways that suppress it.

Every Broward voter needs to cast a ballot. There are a lot of people and interests who don’t want Broward, home to one of the nation’s largest number of Democrats, to vote. The way to beat them at their game is to vote.

I believe Antonacci has time to add more working people-friendly hours for the Presidential Preference Primary Early Voting, which begins Saturday,.

Seeing the immense interest in lastminute in-person voting in the Super Tuesday states, prudence requires him to increase resources for the March 17th Election Day. Surely there is time to correct this failure for the August Primary and the General Election.

All Broward’s elected officials, the League of Women’s Voters, the Urban League, as well as community and business leaders should demand these changes. Let’s start doing this voting thing right. Otherwise, we risk becoming the laughingstock of the nation — again.