Two-time Manatee elections supervisor faces familiar challenger in November

Manatee County voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to retain incumbent supervisor of elections Michael S. Bennett, Republican, or elect Democratic challenger Charles N. Williams, Jr.

The pair previously ran against one another in 2012, when Bennett won by 16 percentage points.

Bennett has since served two terms as elections supervisor. He was re-elected without opposition in 2016.

In a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Manatee County last week, Bennett and Williams gave some insight into their plans for operating local elections.

Bennett touted the expansion of early voting sites during his tenure, as well as increases in vote-by-mail participation, careful budget management and the elimination of lines at polling places.

Williams, describing himself as “an agent for change,” said that he wants to make voting easier and more accessible for all citizens, with a focus on expanding election day polling places.

Both candidates expressed interest in expanding early voting locations. Manatee County currently offers six. That’s up from one when Bennett first took office, but fewer than counties of similar population and geographic size.

Sarasota County, with its slightly larger population than Manatee, has eight early voting sites, and Collier County, with a smaller population, has nine. In a land area comparison with Manatee County, similar sized counties Bay and Pasco each have 14 sites, while smaller county Putnam only has one.

Bennett said that it is difficult to find suitable locations, which are typically limited to government-owned property. And East Manatee is a particular challenge, Bennett said. The new East County Library planned for completion in 2021 on State Road 70 in Lakewood Ranch will offer one guaranteed new site.

“It’s very difficult to get an early voting site,” Bennett said. “We’ve got very few (government-owned buildings). We continuously look, and we will continue to look. It’s easy to say, but to follow the law, it’s very, very difficult.”

“We just have to follow the law, and do everything we can to get more sites,” Williams said. “To me, getting more polling places says that we’re getting more voters.”

Williams said he would also like to see early voting dates expanded.

While in the Florida Senate, Bennett was a vocal supporter of legislation that cut early voting from 15 days to eight and was signed into law by former governor Rick Scott. After scrutiny from the Justice Department and long lines in the 2012 general election, Scott and legislators reversed course, as did Bennett. An overriding law passed in 2013 increased early voting to a minimum of eight days and a maximum of 14.

Leading up to the Nov. 3 election, Bennett’s elections office is offering 14 days of early voting, the maximum allowable time.

Challenger wants more polling places

One point where the candidates differed is the appropriate number of election day polling places.

In 2014, Manatee County commissioners approved a plan proposed by Bennett to reduce the county’s precincts from 99 to 69 locations. Bennett said the eliminted precincts were underused, had parking issues and did not meet ADA requirements, while critics argued that the plan unfairly removed voting sites in predominately poor and minority neighborhoods.

Bennett defended the move to reduce precincts, which he says has saved money and meant that the elections office has never requested a budget increase. He said that the elections office has instead focused on vote-by-mail and early voting initiatives, which have gained in popularity, including with minority voters. The county currently has 70 precincts.

Williams argued that fewer precincts has made it harder for some people to vote.

When asked what he would change, Williams said: “Make it easier for some of the elder people to vote. Hopefully where they can walk right out of their front door, across the street or maybe even have a polling place in their neighborhood. I want to make it a lot easier for people, and encourage people to vote, because our numbers were down, especially in the African American neighborhood.”

Williams also cited a past personal experience in which he was unaware that his election day polling place had been changed.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that we encourage the early voting so much, and the vote-by-mail,” Bennett said. “If you go to early voting and you’ve got six locations scattered around town, you really don’t have to worry about going to your precinct.”

On restoring felons’ voting rights

Williams said that he would advocate for felons who have completed their prison sentences to have voting rights restored. A legal battle over the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative approved by Florida voters in 2018 is now likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The latest ruling determined that court fees and fines must be paid before voting rights are returned to non-violent offenders.

“I’m running against suppression,” Williams said. “I feel like if they’ve done their time, I don’t think we ought to give them an extended prison sentence, but give them an opportunity to become productive citizens. And that means voting.”

With no guidance from the state on the matter and no database of convicted felons at his disposal, Bennett said he is allowing all residents who complete the voter registration process to sign up, leaving it to the state to identify those who don’t qualify under the current ruling.

“I don’t know if Mr. Bennett is one of those guys that’s part of the voter suppression,” Williams said. “I can’t speak to that. But I will say it’s wrong, and I think everybody should have the opportunity to vote.”

Bennett mentioned that he introduced a bill during his time in the state legislature that would have restored voting rights to all felons who had completed their sentences.

“As a member of the Republican Party, I was not welcomed with my idea. But I did, I introduced the legislation to hopefully let every felon vote. I didn’t quite get as fancy as Amendment 4. I didn’t start excluding people. I just said, hey, if they’ve done their time and the rest of it. The problem with Amendment 4 is trying to figure out who legally can and who legally can’t vote.”

Both candidates agreed on the importance of increasing voter engagement all around, including among youth and the elderly citizens who rely on caretakers.

Williams, an Ellenton resident and pastor, earned a bachelor’s degree in theology at Emmaus Baptist College. He founded the King of Kings Baptist Church in Palmetto, which has since merged with St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Bradenton. Williams currently works at Blackburn Elementary School in Palmetto and serves on the board of Oasis Middle School, a public charter school in Bradenton.

Bennett graduated from Sarasota High School and served four tours in Vietnam before earning a bachelor of arts and master’s degree in business administration and going on to teach at Iowa State University and his alma mater, Drake University. He eventually moved back to Florida and founded Aladdin Ward Electric in Bradenton in 1985. Bennett has since operated several business ventures in the area.

Both candidates are active in community organizations. Bennett has a lengthy political history, having served as a state senator from 2002-2012 and as a state representative from 2000-2002.

This election cycle, Bennett has raised $19,900 in campaign contributions with expenditures of $11,804, according to Manatee County elections records, while Williams has raised contributions of $13,665 with expenditures of $9,723.

Monday’s supervisor of elections candidate forum took place live over Zoom and is now available to view on the League of Women Voters YouTube channel. Visit lwvmanatee.org for more information about upcoming candidate forums.