Wednesday, September 26 – Wine, Cheese & Politics – Ion Sancho – Supervisor of Elections Leon County – “The War Against Voters”
As November 6th looms closer, we are learning more and more about voter suppression efforts taking place across the country and in Florida. Please join us we welcome the Supervisor of Elections from Leon County, Ion Sancho, as he speaks about “The War on Voters”.
Serving since January 1989, he has been reelected to five additional terms. Mr. Sancho has devoted special attention to studying voting technologies and increasing citizen participation in our electoral system. Under his administration Leon County’s voter turnout percentage has consistently ranked among the highest of Florida’s 67 counties, with a record setting 86% turnout in the November 2008 General Election.
Mr. Sancho was appointed by the Florida Supreme Court in December of 2000 as the technical expert to oversee the Florida Recount effort and was recognized by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners for providing “statistically the cleanest county elections in the state” during that infamous election. In 2005, Mr. Sancho sanctioned the first tests of voting machines by voting integrity experts, independent of the vendors. His action were captured in the 2007 Emmy nominated film, “Hacking Democracy.”
Ion Sancho was the first Florida election official to attain national certification in 1996 (Certified Elections Registration Official, the Election Center). He is regularly interviewed by national and local media and has presented testimony before the United States Congress, the United States Election Assistance Committee, and the United States Civil Rights Commission. In 1998, he co-authored the first national Principles and Standards of Conduct of Elections/Registrations Officials. In 2008, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office received the National Freedom Award for outstanding innovations in the field of elections.
The event is at 1350 Main Street, 6th Floor, Downtown Sarasota at 6:30 p.m. Wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided along with light bites and dessert.
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED! Please e-mail rsvp@sarasotadems.com or leave a message at 404-4678. Reservastions will close when venue capacity has been reached. Walk-ins not accepted.
Cost for members is $15 and for non-members, $20. Payment can be prepaid by mailing a check made payable to the DCS to: PO Box 51076, Sarasota, FL 34232 or at the door the night of the event. Please fill out checks ahead of time made payable to the DCS.