Broward Politics: Election Supervisor Snipes Sniping With City Over Special Election
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Nothing is easy for the civility-challenged Hallandale Beach City Commission.
Even the simple task of scheduling a special election seems beyond them.
Divided into two factions that agree on almost nothing and are often downright nasty, commissioners are on the verge of violating their own city laws governing special elections.
But in this snafu, commissioners are not blaming one another for a change.
Commissioners are pointing fingers at Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes. She says it is not her fault.
What the two sides agree upon is that the process is bogged down in a morass of various state and city election laws.
Commissioner Anthony Sanders resigned on August 11 amid corruption allegations. A Hallandale Beach city law requires a special election no more than 90 days of a vacancy.
As of today, seven days have passed.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
The clock is running and Hallandale Beach commissioners have reached a final decision on… nothing.
Brenda Snipes
The two sides continue to negotiate over a date.
“We are trying to meet their needs,” Snipes said.
One snag:
State law requires that some absentee ballots be in the mail 45 days before an election, according to Snipes.
That provision would require Hallandale Beach to formally schedule an election, hold a qualifying period and send Snipes the final ballot. Then the ballot must be printed and approved.
None of these steps have been taken yet.
There are also laws governing the advertising of a special election, how many times the ads must run and the length of the candidate qualifying period.
The situation has also aggravated by Snipes.
She ordered new voting machines and retired many of the old ones, hampering her ability to hold a special election.
The new machines have internal modems and are designed to speed the counting of election results. In the future, ballots would not have to be delivered to central locations for counting.
But before the new machines can be used, the staff must be trained and each machine tested.
That takes time. Time is what Hallandale Beach doesn’t have under its own laws.
The new machines were ordered for delivery at this time because no election was scheduled. They are not supposed to be ready until after January 1, Snipes said.
“We didn’t expect this election,” Snipes said.
Snipes says she did prepare for the Fort Lauderdale primary in February because it was scheduled.
The Elections Office offered to hold the election the first week in November. The city doesn’t believe those dates would meet the requirements of Hallandale Beach laws governing advertising and advance notice of an election.
Another date Snipes offered Hallandale Beach is March 13, when there are municipal election in several cities. Hallandale Beach would have an incentive for picking that date because the election costs would be shared with the other cities on the ballot that date.
Hallandale Beach has so far has rejected the March date, which would violate the 90-day provision of city law.
Hallandale Beach law governing city elections.
August 18th, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Hallandale Beach City Commission is a disgrace.
August 19th, 2017 at 9:23 am
Every time i turn around its more drama for Dr.Snipes.My suggestion dump your atty.Fire some of your useless staff and get some guidance from the State Dir.of Soe.You watch during the budget hearings next month watch her ask for a boat load more money.County comm. not one dime more.Why should the county residents bail her out.Also after this term Dr.Snipes retire.Take time and smell the roses.I mean the pension you.ll gonna get should last you to your 100.Seriously,consider retirement and enjoy yourself…