Cindy Hall (Republican) moved to Pea Ridge in 2005. She is a clinical laboratory scientist, and previously spent 20 years as a sales account executive for a Fortune 100 Company.
Q: Election integrity is a hot-button issue. If elected, how would you ensure fair and secure elections in Santa Rosa County?
A: The supervisor of elections should verify citizenship exactly as the DMV does. We could utilize jury pools, E-Verify and SAVE databases and request the DMV share databases of the non-citizens who have daily been provided drivers licenses. Tabulators have a “signal” to access, a server to connect to, and a modem button to press to close the elections. Although our secretary of state declares this is not an internet connection, confidence is lacking. The only way to know if there is foreign influence in our elections is to hand count paper ballots and live-stream and video it.
Q: How will you ensure transparency so that voters have trust in our local election process?
A: Until tabulators are proven to be “unhackable,” they should not be used. However, by law we have to use them. Manual audits of a few candidates in a few precincts would allow us to detect mechanical anomalies. When mail-in ballots are dropped off, those dropping them off should provide proof of ID. I believe the electronic voter identification should not reveal the names and addresses of every voter in the county with the same date of birth. This allows for misidentification errors and potential wrong voters. I prefer paper to electronics because it is more transparent.
Q: What strategies will you implement to improve voter registration and turnout, especially in non-presidential years, where interest often wanes?
A: Public education is profoundly lacking. Early election has only confused voters as to where their precinct is actually located. People don’t understand the Florida primary system is different from other states. A mailer is not enough. I would have “election education day” at the schools so we could teach the children and let them perform mock elections. I would offer to do lectures/presentations at local civic organizations, HOA meetings, chamber of commerce meetings and produce TV and radio commercials to educate the public. Those who work the elections assume everyone else knows what they know. They don’t.
Q: What are the current budgetary needs of the supervisor of elections office?
A: Staffing and overhead costs would remain the same. If we could move to paper ballot counting, it would be a fraction of the cost of using the machines. Just transporting the tabulators to and from the polls for three elections this year will cost taxpayers $8,280. To put this into perspective, the most recent cost of tabulators was $7,075, approximately, $325,000 to have two tabulators at each of the 23 locations.
Q: What makes you the right candidate for this position?
A: I’m going to do what’s not being done: verifying citizenship, verifying current residency daily, and verifying electronic totals match paper ballot totals. As a scientist and auditor, my driving ambition is accuracy, verification, transparency and accountability. As a businesswoman of 20 years for a Fortune 100 company, I’ve had excellent training to run a business. Every assignment I’ve been given, I achieved my objectives in two years or less. We need individuals like myself in government who will be solution driven to root out shortcomings of the current processes and have the constitution of character to embrace the challenge.
Tappie Villane (Republican) moved to Gulf Breeze in 1986. She has 24 years of elections experience and has overseen 44 elections.
Q: Election integrity is a hot-button issue. If elected, how would you ensure fair and secure elections in Santa Rosa County?
A: Voting at the federal, state and local levels is fundamental to American democracy, and voters must have confidence in the elections process. Ways this office ensures election integrity in each election include the following: paper ballots, voter ID, chain of custody, security (many layers of both cybersecurity and physical security are utilized), pre-election Testing, certified voting system, vote-by-mail safeguards, reconciliation, post-election audits (office has maintained 100% overall accuracy in post-election audits since they have been required in Florida).
Q: How will you ensure transparency so that voters have trust in our local election process?
A: Florida law requires public testing of all equipment along with public canvassing board meetings as ballots are being canvassed. My office also encourages voters to be involved in the elections process by working as a poll worker or simply helping out at the office. I believe being involved helps people understand the entire process.
Q: What strategies will you implement to improve voter registration and turnout, especially in non-presidential years, where interest often wanes?
A: My office has many community partners who we work with each and every year to improve voter registration and turnout. These partners include but are not limited to, the Santa Rosa County School District, Pensacola State College and the Council on Aging. Many community groups also request a presentation during the year to educate members about the elections process and any changes that have been enacted by the Florida legislature.
Q: What are the current budgetary needs of the supervisor of elections office?
A: There are no current budgetary needs for the supervisor of elections office, however, due to lack of space in our current location it will be necessary in the very near future to find additional space.
Q: What makes you the right candidate for this position?
A: Since being elected in 2012, I have had the privilege of serving the voters of Santa Rosa County as the Supervisor of Elections. Once again, I am the only candidate with actual experience conducting elections. This experience includes 44 successful elections, 3 statewide, 2 county-wide and 2 municipal recounts. I am proud of the work my office has done and continues to do serving the voters of Santa Rosa County. So, whether you vote-by-mail, vote early or vote on election day, please remember the name and vote Tappie Villane for Supervisor of Elections.