Challenger to Lee elections officer says system is 'seriously broken' in Florida

Michael "Mick" Peters, 65, Republican, is aiming to unseat the incumbent Supervisor of Elections in Lee County.

Here's what you should know about the race and a Q & A with the candidate.

Peters has been a Lee County resident since 2011. He has worked in the finance industry and for North Carolina National Bank and others. He obtained his mortgage broker's license in 2000.

He is married and the couple has two grown children.

What does the Supervisor of Elections do?

The supervisor of elections in each county updates voter registration rolls, acts as the custodian of documents related to the registration of electors and changes in voter registration.

The supervisor serves a four-year term and the position in Lee pays $189,252.

How much has the candidate raised?

Peters has $11,100 in campaign money, of which he contributed $10,850, according to a June 25 filing.

Who is Peters running against in the election 2024 primary?

Peters is running against the incumbent, Tommy Doyle. The winner in the primary is elected.

Here are the candidates answers to our questions:

Why are you running for the supervisor's job?

Accuracy, integrity, accountability, reliability, transparency, safe and secure elections. I'm coming here to clean up a mess and make processes operate properly again, as they are seriously broken. (Lee has had corrupt elections for 20-plus years starting with chain of custody issues). Ending voter suppression through long lines by providing more polling places. Stopping elections fraud by removing dead voters (and stopping deceased from "voting"!). Removing illegally registered voters from rolls, stopping illegal ballot harvesting, ensuring when process is lawfully practiced that I can certify it was entirely monitored and lawful. Prosecuting law breakers, restoring voters' trust in our processes.

What makes you better qualified than the incumbent?

I know where problems are, will reveal them, fix them instead of living in denial, pretending that: they aren't real, machines/tabulators don't fail, algorithms are tamperproof, that anyone can 'decipher' QR Codes, that dead people aren't voting, that illegal ballots aren't real (and counted), pretending denying voters opportunities to vote with excessively long wait times isn't voter suppression. Pretending problems aren't real only makes them worse, election after election. I know simple, legal solutions to identify, address and correct systemic dysfunction. How can anyone correct that which they refuse to admit exists? If we do nothing, will it fix itself?

Do you believe the 2020 elections in Lee County had some discrepancies or inaccuracies?

The Help America Vote Act says "No State or local Election can be certified if greater than 1 error per 125,000 ballots cast." We had 65 per 125,000 ballots cast statewide. Lee had 22,661 blank ballots that required by law to have been adjudicated by canvassing boards which weren't. There were more than a half million statewide. That's not inaccuracies, or discrepancies, that's election failures. Incumbent says it was due to Constitutional amendments and one blank page caused discrepancies and is a misstatement of fact. Until days ago, definition of "blank ballot" was one that contained no marking on any page; since our "discrepancy" was 22,661 in 2020 and 15 in 2022, what do you think?

Some people talk about rigged elections. Do you think elections in Florida are free and fair?

Not even debatable; invalid elections have been "certified"; it can't continue. Machines are a part of problems, yet required by law currently. I will personally lobby the Legislature to return to hand-counted paper ballots. If 50 million are counted in one evening with results by midnight in Brazil, we can do less than one-third that amount in Florida. I trust people, not algorithms, QR codes or bar codes (what tabulators are actually ‘counting’). Trusting machines are accurate when not allowed access to source code is like trusting your gold is in a safe deposit box you aren't allowed to view, ever.

What changes would you make?

Here isn't an appropriate place for all planned solutions; opponents shouldn't co-opt others' answers. I'd prefer providing solutions in a debate with my opponent moderated by Naples Daily News. My plans are extensive, solutions comprehensive. Starting point: first post-mortem forensic audit of 2024’s election; Never done in Florida; process begins immediately after swearing in. Terminate "VR Systems" contract and withdraw from Supervisor of Elections Association; a glorified "closed shop union," funded not by Supervisor of Elections, but taxpayers. Lobbyists engaged by 'union' generally lobby for easier administration of elections, not more secure. Not what I believe 93% of those taxpayers' desire.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Challenger to Lee elections officer says system is 'seriously broken' in Florida