Elections Chief Motivated by a Sense of Purpose

[Wilms]

Elections chief motivated by a sense of purpose

Ion Sancho still has passion for job, despite recent headaches

By Jeff Burlew
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

April 10, 2006

snip

"People sort of coalesced behind my complaints about the validity of the election, and I sort of became the community focus on cleaning up the process," he said. "My point of view was, 'This process failed Leon County voters, and I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that something like that never happens again.' "

snip

"I think his willingness to stand on the principle of assuring citizens that every vote counts has been a contribution of national significance," Thaell said.

snip

When he was born, he was given his middle name in honor of the French philosopher who opposed tyranny and fought for freedom of speech. For his first name, his father chose one of the tiniest particles known to man at that time.

"He told me that he wanted me to know my place - that I was just a small particle in this larger universe, and to remember that, that this universe didn't revolve around me," Sancho said.

snip

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060410/NEWS01/604100324/1010

[nicknameless]

1. K&R for a true patriot.

[kster]

2. K&R ...nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Ion Sancho Issues Statement Supporting HR 550

Ion Sancho Issues Statement Supporting HR 550

By Ion Sancho, Supervisor of Elections, Leon County Florida
April 08, 2006
The HR 550 Lobby Days brought to DC not only passionate citizens interested in e-voting reform but also election officials who have been forced into technology battles that they never wanted to fight. Participating in the Lobby Days events today is Ion Sancho, Supervisor of Elections of Leon County Florida. Sancho, as those who follow e-voting issues may recall, organized a series of tests of Diebold's touchscreen voting technology that (once again) exposed a series of serious vulnerabilities.


Sancho issued the follow statement in conjunction with a press conference that took place this morning:

"The independent authority of election officials to provide honest and impartial elections conducted in a fair and efficient manner is under attack today. Partisan politicians in conjunction with some voting machine vendors are taking away the right of American citizens to cast their votes and have them verified as accurate. Congressman Holt's bill is how we must begin to protect our votes and end the erosion of public trust in our elections."

http://votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1167&Itemid=26

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. Ion - J.D. Florida State University

Ion Sancho was elected to his first term as the Supervisor of Elections for Leon County, Florida in November 1988. He was re-elected in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004, serving his fifth term as of January 2, 2005.

During his years of service as Leon County's Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Sancho has devoted special attention to modernizing the county's voting system and increasing the participation of citizens in the democratic process.


Mr. Sancho's credentials include: J.D. Florida State University Law School, 1987: B.A. Social Science, Stetson University, 1978; A.A. Valencia Community College, 1973; State Certified Supervisor of Elections; Nationally certified by the Elections Center as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA); Former staff member, Florida House of Representatives, Corrections, Probation & Parole Committee; Center for Policy Alternatives, Voter Participation Advisory Board; Member, The Elections Center; Past Member, Big Bend Saltwater Classic.

http://www.leonfl.org/elect/MeetTheSupervisor.htm

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. He came out alot better than Bruce Funk

Has anyone heard anything lately about Bruce Funk?

Or is he just screwed?

A good man, took a gigantic risk, and where is the outrage that
he lost his job?

Seems like people forgot about him.

I do think Ion is great, but I feel like Bruce Funk
should not have lost his job and disappeared into the night.

Also, what about that actor guy who got charged with 3 felonies in
CA for giving over Diebold/Client documents to Bev Harris, who then
gave it to SOS?

[kster]

6. kick,,nt

[kster]

7. Oppose HR 550 as written

The list of organizations that are behind Representative Rush Holt’s HR 550, the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act" of 2005, is indeed impressive, as are the number of co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives (165). Common Cause, Voters Unite, Vote Trust USA, Verified Voting and others have joined in a well-organized effort to report this bill out of committee and pass it “as written.”

I strongly oppose this effort for two reasons:

1. The Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail is not a sufficient safeguard that will ensure the accuracy of
electronic voting machines, and

2. HR 550 creates a permanent executive-level rule-making body which effectively pre-empts the traditional Constitutional prerogative of the states to fix the “times, places and manner of holding elections.” (Article I, Section 4).

http://lootingofamerica.com/Holt_Position_Paper_v2.pdf