Reply #13: Sancho says he will fight rule changes

[MelissaB]

Sancho says he will fight rule changes

Leon County Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho doesn't mind letting the state know when he's testing voting machines, but he doesn't think the Secretary of State's office should tell him how - or whether - he can do it.

Sancho said he will attend a public hearing in the R.A. Gray Building at 1:30 p.m. Monday to discuss a pending rule change. He said the new rule would require a representative of the Department of State to be present whenever a county runs a test on voting machines.

"I don't, for the life of me, understand why they want to do something like this," Sancho said Saturday. "I have no problem with notifying them, but I don't think I need their approval."

Sancho has had long-running disputes with big national companies that make elections equipment. He contends that county elections offices should be allowed to test their balloting machinery anytime they think there might be bugs.

Sancho said the hearing Monday is only the first step in the rule-making process, but he intends to fight it all the way.
- Bill Cotterell

Link: http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/NEWS01/606110330/1010