Florida Election Supervisor Doesn’t Know Meaning of “Canvass”

Florida Broward County Election Official Brenda Snipes is zero for two today, as a Florida judge sided with the Florida GOP and has ordered for the election supervisor to change her ways in how she handles vote-by-mail absentee ballots. Through a declaratory injunction ordered Friday, Supervisor Snipes is prevented from “opening the mail-in ballots in secret or before the county’s three-member Canvassing Board meets to determine the ballot’s validity.”

The Republican Party of Florida declared: “the Court’s ruling helps protect the integrity of this year’s election process, not just for Republicans but for all voters in Broward County.”

In the 17-page ruling, the judge repeatedly stated it was an issue that Snipes did not know what the meaning of the word “canvass” and she could state why the court shouldn’t side with the Florida GOP. The judge stated:

“Defendant has failed to rebut Plaintiff’s entitlement to relief … and has even admitted to misunderstanding the meaning of the word ‘canvass.’”

It is concerning that in the second largest county with voter participation in Florida, the county Election Supervisor, who has held the position since 2003, does not know what “canvass” means and believed that her office was operating according to state and local laws.

This is not the first sign of incompetence or corruption shown by Snipes. In 2016, she broke the law by destroying ballots cast in the congressional primary between Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Tim Canova, prior to the required waiting period.

As Florida prepares for their primary elections and the midterm general elections in November, it is concerning that there continues to be fraud and blatant incompetence in election administration. The people should have the confidence their election officials are ensuring that elections are fair, open, and honest -- not that these entrusted officials are acting lawlessly, unjustly, and ineptly.