Letters to the editor: The 2018 recount in Manatee County
Manatee elections office shines
Manatee citizens should be proud of our Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett, staff, and all volunteers working the 2018 recount. While other counties struggled and brought question into the 2018 election. Manatee County demonstrated how things should work.
Folks from different political persuasions volunteered to make democracy count. We didn’t hear partisan rhetoric pushing blindly for candidates to win at all costs; we heard courteous and professional voices genuinely seeking a fair and transparent result. Judge Singer, Judge Inman, Commissioner Benac, Commissioner Trace and SOE Bennett worked in unison as the Canvassing Board following the law while conducting reasonable and fair deliberations, sacrificing hours and days of their personal time. We witnessed our SOE personally handle every single ballot as the SOE’s competent staff worked tirelessly for the benefit of all of Manatee County.
Volunteers from diverse political backgrounds treated one another with respect and pride. Republican Chair Kathy King worked side-by-side with Democrat leaders; newly elected Representatives Will Robinson and Tommy Gregory volunteered just hours before traveling to Tallahassee to be sworn in. This election may teach many things, but one thing this election did not have to teach is civility and citizenship among Manatee County’s finest volunteers.
Thank you, Manatee County SOE volunteers.
Leland Taylor
Bradenton
Voters, educate yourselves
I just spent several days at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections as an observer of the machine and manual recounts. I was left with an appreciation for the inner workings of the election process. I was also left with some concerns about that same process. My biggest concern came from seeing the number of ballots where the voter obviously skipped certain races. I would assume they felt they didn’t know enough to cast a vote. My question to those voters is: “How difficult is it in this age of the internet to do a little research into the position and the candidates?”
The races that seemed to be most often left blank were those for Commissioner of Agriculture (one of the races impacted by the recount) and the Chief Financial Officer. Granted, the CFO is a strange mix of responsibilities because the position is a merging of several: comptroller, insurance commissioner, and fire marshal. I am not quite sure why someone thought those three should go together. Regardless, these roles can impact your life and your financial well-being as well as the budget of the state.
You might think that the Commissioner of Agriculture only matters if you are a farmer, but you would be wrong. He/she oversees gas pumps, school lunches, and state fairs. Surprisingly, the position also includes responsibility for concealed-carry permits. I know that doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, but I guess that’s Florida politics.
Regardless of how much sense it makes or doesn’t, both positions are important and matter in our lives. We owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to take an active role in deciding who occupies these offices. In the next election, please take some time to do research and then weigh in with your vote.
Jenni Casale
Palmetto