Latest news with #CanvassingBoard
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cathy Townsend files to run for supervisor of elections, hoping to succeed Gertrude Walker
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The longest-serving member of the County Commission plans to run for a new office in 2028. Cathy Townsend filed paperwork Friday to run for supervisor of elections, making her the first entrant into what likely will be an open contest. Longtime Supervisor of Election Gertrude Walker has said she does not plan to run for a 13th term. Townsend plans to run as a Republican, according to the filing paperwork. First elected to the County Commission in 2016 as a Democrat, Townsend ran for reelection as a Republican in both 2020 and 2024. No Democrats, nor any Republican challengers, have yet filed to run for Townsend's seat on the County Commission, an election more than three years away. As a candidate for supervisor of elections, Townsend is hoping to become the first Republican to hold the job in at least 48 years, assuming Walker completes her final term. Walker, a Democrat, was appointed supervisor in 1980, becoming the first Black supervisor of elections in the state. She was one of just two Democrats to win countywide office in November, defeating Republican challenger Jennifer Frey. Walker received about 51% of the vote. St. Lucie County has become increasingly Republican-controlled in recent years, with continued control of the supervisor of elections job being one of the few bright spots for locals Democrats. There are now more than 8,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats in St. Lucie County. Democrats held a slim lead here as recently as late November 2023. On the presidential level, the county voted for Republican President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, after voting for Democratic candidates in each of the previous five cycles. Locally, the County Commission became entirely Republican controlled for the first time in history following the November elections. It had a Democratic majority as recently as 2022. More: St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections results: Gertrude Walker vs. Jennifer Frey More: Three Election Day wins complete Republican takeover of St. Lucie County Commission Facing those Republican headwinds, Walker and Tax Collector Chris Craft were the only Democrats to win countywide offices last year. Townsend had previously hinted at a possible run for supervisor of elections. During a Jan. 21 County Commission meeting, Townsend asked to be removed from the county Canvasing Board, the body that handles certain election related activities including recounts. Townsend said there were "rumors" going around that she asked to be on the board because she planned to run for supervisor of elections. While she said she never asked to be on the Canvassing Board, she was removed from it at her request due to those "rumors." Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Will Republican takeover of St. Lucie County continue in 2028 races?
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House bill could change how Laramie County residents vote in elections
CHEYENNE — A bill passed by members of a state House committee on Wednesday could change the way elections are run in Laramie County. House Bill 245, 'Pen and paper ballot,' requires all 23 counties to default to pen-and-paper ballots for voting in Wyoming elections. An exception in the bill allows people with disabilities to use a voting touchscreen. Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette, the sponsor of the bill, said receipts from these touchscreen ballots show a barcode, not the name of the voter or the selections they made on the screen. Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette (2025) Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette 'That coding is proprietary,' Knapp said. 'Once you put that in to be counted, it counts it. But you don't know if it actually printed off what you had, what you had selected on your screen.' Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who spoke in support of Knapp's bill, said the experience of voting in Laramie County elections was 'unsatisfying.' Chuck Gray Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray speaks at the state Capitol on Dec. 19 in Cheyenne. Gray spoke about his plans for the 2025 general session regarding election integrity. 'In Laramie County, I do the touchscreen, and the receipt prints out, and there's no way of knowing that the names corresponding on the receipt correspond to the barcodes,' Gray said. 'And it's a very unsatisfying experience.' Laramie County is the only county that conducts its voting system through the use of touchscreens. Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee told House Appropriations Committee members this bill would 'upend' elections in the county, urging them to consider allowing local control on this issue. Not only is there a time crunch to educate voters on how to use paper ballots before the 2026 general election, she said, but there would also be a cost to hiring extra staff and obtaining additional warehouse space. 'The effective date of July 1, 2025, does not give us sufficient time to plan, prepare and educate voters in advance of the 2026 election,' Lee said. Debra Lee portrait after Canvassing Board meeting Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee poses for a photo after the Laramie County Canvassing Board meeting, where they certified the results of the primary election in the Historic County Courthouse on Aug. 23 in Cheyenne. Lee said touchscreens have been used in Laramie County for decades. From 2006 to 2013, county voters had the opportunity to weigh in on their preferred method of voting — a majority of them said they preferred the touchscreens, according to Lee. 'We've been using these for decades,' Lee said. 'They don't know how to mark a paper ballot, I have to be honest.' Lee added that the use of touchscreens is beneficial to ensuring election integrity, because it reduces the risk of human error. Touchscreens add a layer of security to ensure voters received the correct ballot, she said. It also ensures vote accuracy by catching over-votes, or when a voter chooses more candidates than is allowed. She asked committee members to check the record of over-votes in their county on the Secretary of State's website. 'You might be surprised,' Lee said. 'Laramie County, for its size, because of the method we use, has significantly fewer over-votes.' Post-election audits in the county have shown 100% accuracy of Laramie County elections, Lee added. A touchscreen ballot cannot be forged or duplicated because they're only available at check-in. Rep. Scott Smith, R-Lingle, said he'd heard of issues where not all the candidates are listed on the screen, and the voter has to go to the second screen to find the candidate they want. Lee responded it's clearly posted on the screen if the list of candidates continues onto the next page. Rep. Trey Sherwood, D-Laramie, asked Lee if she was aware of any voters who came into the voting center and asked for a paper ballot. 'Voters who want a paper ballot, they certainly can vote absentee,' Lee said. 'But I don't recall … voters going into vote centers and ask for a paper ballot.' Knapp's bill passed the committee on a vote of 6-1, with a 'no' vote from Sherwood. The bill will now go to the House floor for further debate.
