Manatee Supervisor of Elections: Mike Bennett

Name: Mike Bennett

Age: 75

Family: Spouse, Dee

Bio: I believe I have earned the vote for supervisor. When I got elected, Manatee County had one early voting site; we now have six. We increased vote by mail to more than 35% of the registered voters in Manatee County, we have eliminated voting lines, and in the eight years I have been here, we have basically held the budget for our office constant, and in fact most years have returned money back to the voters of Manatee County instead of spending what we didn't need or asking for more. We manage the office the same as any of the multiple businesses I have owned over the years.

Why are you running to be supervisor of elections?

I am running again for supervisor of elections in Manatee County because I firmly believe that voting is the top of the list of all of our rights as American citizens. We must cherish and protect the ability to have clean, prompt elections, elections that elect the best to lead our country. Sometimes we have not gotten it right, but most of the time we have.

The Legislature governs what the Supervisors of Election can do. Nevertheless, if you had the power, what changes would you make to Florida’s current voting system?

If I could do anything to change our voting system, I would especially favor federal elections to have a set of ground rules that would be consistent in all states. For example, there should be a set of rules for voting by mail that closely follows Florida — let the other states observe and follow what Florida has done and does well. We do not need a system that blankets the public with ballots that there is not a system to track or even count. We should know that all ballots will be tallied and reported at a given time and date. It amazes me the number of people who have no concept of "late." If allowed, say, an extra three days, then they would believe that taking an additional two days beyond that is OK. Late is late; stick with it.

One of the big issues of this election is the rise of universal mail-in ballots. What is your opinion of universal mail-in ballots — by which your office would mail a ballot to every registered voter in Manatee County? / Should Florida adopt such a system, or is the current absentee ballot system sufficient?

Vote by mail works well if all ballots are tracked going out and coming in. We should insist that all voters sign a paper application not an electronic pad that most of the time does not look like the signature that is placed on the ballot. Most signatures on electronic pads are at the best a scribble that will not match.

What is your position on voter identification? What do you think should be required of every voter to validate identification?

All voters should provide proper identification when registering and voting. I like a picture government-issued ID

What is your position on Amendment 1, which would change the Florida Constitution from “Every citizen of the United States … shall be an elector” to “Only a citizen of the United States … shall be an elector”? Why do you support or not support it?

Amendment 1 should not even be necessary. Common sense should tell us that only citizens should be able to vote. I don't believe any other country in the world allows noncitizens to vote.