Election supervisor pledges to maintain gold standards in elections

Before being appointed by Governor DeSantis as Supervisor of Elections on January 26, 2024, I had been involved in seven elections, four as a member of the Circulation Board, beginning in 2020, and three as a candidate. My fascination with the election process was reinforced by my involvement in the hand recount of the 2020 District 1 City Council race between Jennifer Brahier and PC Wu, which was decided by three votes. David Stafford’s leadership during the recount and attention to the gold standard statutory election process made me want to continue to participate in elections and aspire to be Supervisor of Elections.

After college, I was a golf rules judge for the United States Golf Association. Like golf and elections, the rules must be applied fairly and accurately. Similarly, both require honesty and a willingness to do what is right, regardless of the outcome. I brought that experience and honesty to this office when I took an oath to uphold the Florida Constitution and the laws of the State of Florida.

In light of this, I would like to clear up some confusion about the recent qualifying period. Well before the qualifying week, I asked Deputy Chief Sonya Daniel to be the point of contact and qualifying officer for all candidates running for Supervisor of Elections, including me, to avoid any appearance of bias or impropriety. This was also communicated to the office staff. In fact, when I filed my candidacy, I walked in and out the front door like any other candidate and did not ask for or receive any special treatment.

Candidate Coordinator Keelie Sekerka and Deputy Chief Daniel, long-time employees and some of my most skilled staff, are honest, knowledgeable, and helpful in dealing with candidates and canvassing board members. Members of the public and current or former candidates have shared the same sentiments, including the Childerses. Their commitment was no different on June 12, 2024, when Bruce Childers filed to qualify as a candidate.

Although Mr. Childers claimed to have filed a “summary page” of his Form 6, Full and Public Financial Disclosure, no such “summary page” exists. Instead, he filed the first page of a four-page form. Neither the signature page nor the two pages listing his assets and liabilities—which are the most detailed and important parts of the form—were filed. Two employees questioned the incomplete form and then discussed with Mr. Childers and his wife, who was with him, how to access and file the full form.

The qualifying staff made it clear to Mr. Childers before he left the office that a full and public financial disclosure had not been filed, and they took Mr. Childers at his word that a completed form would be sent. However, it is clear that Mr. Childers did not attempt to file a completed form with our office until the qualifying period ended almost two days later.

Mr. Childers was not the only candidate to be found ineligible this year due to failure to comply with the state’s candidacy requirements. A candidate for the 23rd District of the Florida House of Representatives was ineligible when the state determined that his financial disclosure form did not include a signature. Another local candidate submitted an unauthorized form of payment. While situations like Mr. Childers’ are unfortunate, our office is committed to following the law and insisting on full and complete compliance with statutory requirements.

I would like to address Mr. Childers’ contention that I have discretion in applying the Florida Statutes. The short answer is that I do not. Put another way, what if I had not met all the requirements of my candidacy for Supervisor of Elections? What if my staff had come to me four days after the end of the qualifying period and informed me that my financial disclosure form was incomplete? Should they have allowed me (as Mr. Childers claims I should have done for him) to print and complete the rest of the form and submit it late? I would not have asked, expected, or allowed my staff to do that, because the law clearly states that qualifying items must be received by the end of the qualifying period. Judge Frydrychowicz, reviewing the law, agreed.

Furthermore, where does such discretion end in not following the requirements and deadlines of the Act? Does my office have discretion to accept applications for registration to vote and change of party affiliation for the upcoming primary election after the July 22 deadline? Do we have discretion to keep polling places open after the required closing time of 7:00 p.m. on Election Day? Again, the answer is no. We must trust that all laws will be followed at all times. The fact that someone who professed to know and understand the law, who wanted to be an election supervisor and have confidence in the law, publicly advocates and supports the non-compliance with the law is shocking to me.

My job requires trust in this office. This is my commitment to you: We will treat candidates and voters fairly and consistently, we will follow the rules, and we will be your trusted source of information. In fact, when Pam Childers, Mr. Childers’ wife, presented her qualifying elements (including her financial disclosure commitments), I gave her the same thorough and unbiased review that I have given other candidates, including Sheriff Chip Simmons and my former colleagues on the County Commission.

I want to thank David Stafford for the dedication and commitment he has shown to this office for 19 years. I hope that voters will value me as much when my service is complete. My commitment to conducting safe, secure, and accurate elections is the same as Mr. Stafford’s. I have already added additional security protocols for mail-in and provisional voting, and the March presidential primary was the first time we used an independent audit system to verify tabulation results in 100% of precincts and 100% of races. Finally, we have implemented additional resources to assist candidates in the qualifying process. I look forward to continuing to improve on the gold standard that Florida voters have come to know and expect in our elections.

This article originally appeared in the Pensacola News Journal: Election supervisor pledges to maintain gold standards