Advancing Civility - Because It Matters

The following guest column by Gulf Coast President|CEO Mark Pritchett appeared in the October 21 edition of SRQ Daily:

What do 10 Florida Republicans, 10 Democrats and one Independent dissecting the voting process after a bitterly contested presidential election have in common? In my experience, more than you might think.

In 2001, I served as executive director of a select task force appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush to review Florida’s election process following the 2000 presidential election. Remember, this was the election of hand recounts and hanging chads, when 537 out of nearly 6 million votes cast in our state ultimately decided the presidency.

With the eyes of the world and the international media trained on us, the panel members were tasked with recommending reforms to Florida’s election procedures, standards and technology in six short weeks. The task force made 35 recommendations—approved unanimously by that group of Democrats, Republicans and an independent—to modernize Florida’s election system, including decertifying the infamous punch-card machines that produced those hanging chads.

Read the rest of Mark's column in SRQ Daily...