Did Brenda Snipes Overstep Legal Boundaries?

Brenda Snipes, the former Broward County Supervisor of Elections, has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. In 2018, a circuit judge ruled that Snipes violated Florida public records law by not providing requested election information to then-Florida Governor Rick Scott, who was running for Senate at the time. Additionally, Snipes was criticised for issues during the 2018 midterm elections, including long lines and slow vote counts, and was suspended by Gov. Scott after the election. However, Snipes' suspension was later voided by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accepted her resignation in 2019. While Snipes has faced accusations and criticism, the full extent of any legal wrongdoing is unclear, and she has been praised by some for her work in improving voter education and outreach.

Brenda Snipes violated Florida public records law

Brenda Snipes, the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida, was accused of violating Florida public records law. A circuit court judge ruled that Snipes violated the law by not providing requested election information to Florida Governor Rick Scott, who was running for Senate at the time. Scott filed a lawsuit alleging that Snipes was improperly withholding information, including a count of total ballots cast and a breakdown of votes by category.

The judge, Carol-Lisa Phillips, ordered Snipes to release the information by 7 pm on Friday, but Snipes failed to do so. This was not the first time Snipes had faced legal issues; she was also plagued by a lawsuit from a 2016 congressional race, in which a state judge ruled that she had violated state and federal laws by destroying ballots early.

The public records law violation occurred during the controversial 2018 Florida elections, which involved a close race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum for governor, and between Republican Rick Scott and incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. Snipes was removed from office by Governor Scott on November 30, 2018, due to her failure to maintain order within her office and complaints of malfeasance.

Snipes' staff filled out blank ballots

In 2016, a temp worker named Chelsey Marie Smith signed an affidavit stating that she saw elections officials filling out blank absentee ballots. Smith's affidavit was filed as an exhibit in a November 2018 election-related lawsuit. The ballots in question were duplicates for members of the military serving overseas who had faxed in absentee ballots. Timothy Donnelly, assistant state attorney in Broward County, found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Instead, he wrote that elections officials were creating duplicate ballots for soldiers stationed overseas, as federal law permits.

The affidavit was related to a lawsuit filed by agriculture commission candidate Matthew Caldwell, who, after expecting to win the election, ended up losing by a narrow margin of a few thousand votes. Caldwell's suit called for all communication between Snipes, her team, staff, and any third parties, as well as verification of whether or not she added or removed votes after the polls closed. The lawsuit also stated that Snipes and her office had "a record of gross incompetence and illegal behavior."

In addition to the allegations of ballot tampering, Snipes was also accused of mixing invalid provisional ballots with valid ones and failing to release election information as required by law. These incidents have sparked concerns about the integrity of the election process in Broward County and led to protests calling for Snipes' removal from her position.

She mixed valid and invalid provisional ballots

Brenda Snipes was the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. She was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2003 and was re-elected to the position several times until she resigned in 2019.

During the 2018 midterm elections, issues arose with the handling of provisional ballots in Broward County. Provisional ballots are used when there are questions about a voter's eligibility that must be resolved before their vote can count. In the case of the 2018 Broward County elections, 205 provisional ballots were cast, and 20 of these were rejected under signature-matching requirements. The issue arose when both valid and invalid provisional ballots were mixed together, without enclosing envelopes, making it impossible to separate them for the recount. This incident led to accusations of law-breaking against Snipes, specifically regarding the mixing of valid and invalid provisional ballots.

Provisional ballots are intended to provide a fail-safe mechanism for voters when there are questions about their registration status on Election Day. The process varies across states, but generally, a voter whose name does not appear on the voter registration list may be offered a provisional ballot. These ballots are placed in special secrecy envelopes and are only counted if the voter's registration is later verified.

In the case of the 2018 Broward County elections, the mixing of valid and invalid provisional ballots created a situation where the votes could not be distinguished and all 205 votes remained counted. This incident raised concerns about the integrity of the election process and the potential for voter fraud.

While Snipes was accused of violating the law, there were also defences of her conduct, with some arguing that she was merely following standard procedures for provisional ballots. Ultimately, the consequences of this incident contributed to Snipes' suspension and eventual resignation from her position as Supervisor of Elections.

Snipes destroyed ballots prematurely

In 2016, Brenda Snipes, the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida, was involved in a lawsuit filed by Democrat Tim Canova, who ran against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the August 2016 primary race. Canova wanted to inspect the optical-scan ballots due to concerns about the integrity of the elections office.

During the ongoing litigation, on September 1, 2017, Snipes signed an order authorizing the destruction of 688 boxes containing the ballots in question. Two weeks later, the court discovered that the ballots had been destroyed, and the judge ruled that Snipes had illegally destroyed the ballots.

According to longstanding federal law, ballots cast in a congressional race are not to be destroyed until 22 months after the election. Additionally, under Florida state law, a public record sought in a court case should not be destroyed without a judge's order.

Snipes' attorney argued that the destruction of the ballots was lawful because high-quality electronic copies were made and maintained. However, Canova and his attorney insisted on inspecting the original paper ballots to ensure they hadn't been tampered with, as digital copies can be altered.

The destruction of the ballots during an active court case raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and prompted accusations of illegal actions and incompetence. The incident added to a series of controversies and errors associated with Snipes' tenure as the Supervisor of Elections in Broward County.

She failed to maintain order in her office

Brenda Snipes, the former Broward Supervisor of Elections, was accused of failing to maintain order in her office. This accusation led to her suspension by Florida Governor Rick Scott in 2018.

During the 2018 midterm elections, Snipes faced criticism for several issues, including problems during the recount and reports of misplaced ballots. There were also complaints of malfeasance, with allegations of voter fraud and the mixing of invalid and valid provisional ballots.

One specific incident involved the discovery of a box marked "provisional ballots" left at a school used as a polling place after the election. While it was later determined that the box contained voting equipment and not ballots, the incident added to the concerns about the management of the election process in Broward County.

In addition to the issues during the 2018 midterms, Snipes had previously faced criticism for other election-related matters. In 2012, almost 1,000 uncounted ballots were discovered a week after an election, raising questions about the accuracy and integrity of the vote count.

Snipes was also criticized for the destruction of year-old ballots in violation of the law. A court ruled that her office had broken election law by destroying ballots from the 2016 election after 12 months, instead of the 22 months required by federal law.

The cumulative effect of these issues led to the perception that Snipes failed to maintain order in her office, resulting in her suspension by Governor Scott. However, it is important to note that Snipes' suspension was later rescinded by Governor Ron DeSantis, who accepted her resignation in 2019.

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