Seminole County asks for investigation into Elections Supervisor
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Seminole County is calling for an investigation into the Supervisor of Elections less than a week before the Florida Primary on Aug. 20.
FOX 35 News received the letters sent to the Division of Elections and the Office of Election Crimes and Security. In the letters, the county attorney says it received evidence that shows Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson included his name twice on sample ballots.
Once in the designated voting area, where he is up for re-election, and then again in the margin of the sample ballot outside the designated voting area. The county says this is against Florida statute because sample ballots are supposed to look like the real thing. They also raise concerns about whether this could be considered a political ad.
"Certainly, there are concerns about someone putting their name into documents more than necessary," said John Hanley, Associate Professor at UCF, "Some gray area between what is, you know, clearly a violation and a waste of taxpayer funds. On the other side, simply indicating this is official communication coming from this person."
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- Seminole County asks for investigation into Elections Supervisor
Oviedo’s mayor also blasted Anderson this week in a Facebook post. She shared a picture and accused him of having his name on signage within the 150-foot "No Solicitation Zone." She cautioned that it could create an unfair advantage.
County Chair Jay Zembower spoke with FOX 35 last week after the election office said it discovered an "error" with its vote-by-mail vendor. Election officials say no votes were impacted.
However, Zembower says it is crucial that election officials do everything possible to maintain voter confidence.
"This cuts to the core of having confidence in our elections. We should be taking that extra step," said Zembower.
FOX 35 has contacted Anderson and his media team for comment, and we are still waiting to hear back.
In a statement released earlier this month, Anderson said, "We believe in transparency with the public and are committed to maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the voting process."