Herald endorsement: Miami-Dade supervisor of elections Democratic primary | Opinion
READ MORE
Miami Herald Editorial Board’s 2024 Election Endorsements
In advance of the upcoming primary elections on Aug. 20, 2024, the Editorial Board interviewed and researched candidates to better understand their views on various issues and how their policies will affect their constituents. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race.
Expand All
Miami-Dade County voters will elect a supervisor of elections for the first time this year. In the Aug. 20 primary, three Democrats are running to be their party’s nominee to face Republican state Rep. Alina Garcia in November.
Juan Carlos “J.C.” Planas is an elections lawyer and former Miami Republican state representative who left his former party after Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. Arnold “Arnie” Benjamin Weiss is a digital media entrepreneur who touts his technology background. Willis Howard is a political consultant and former chief of staff in North Miami Beach.
Our pick is the knowledgeable Planas, 54, who said he’s spent a lot of time with election supervisors across the state, participated in more than 20 voting recounts and has been involved in high-profile election legal cases. He became interested in election law after he successfully asked the courts in 2006 to kick his cousin off the ballot for trying to siphon votes from him under the name “J.P. Planas.”
Planas also teaches election law at St. Thomas University School of Law.
“I‘ve become the election expert when it comes to a lot of legal issues in this town,” Planas told the Herald Editorial Board during a candidate interview.
Up until now, the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections has been appointed by the county mayor. Thanks to a 2018 Florida constitutional amendment, this — and other constitutional officers, such as the sheriff — will now be an elected position.
Planas wants to keep the county’s highly regarded appointed supervisor, Christina White, on his staff — a wise move for a smooth transition. He would also revamp the county’s elections website to make it more user-friendly and explore the idea of using QR codes to help voters track mail ballots. He wants to use county commissioners’ district mobile offices, driver license offices and senior centers to help citizens register to vote and request mail ballots.
His opponents attack him because, in July, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust ordered Planas to pay $5,675 to cover the legal fees of former Miami Beach mayoral candidate Michael Gongora. Planas, who represented Gongora’s opponent Michael Grieco, filed an ethics complaint against Gongora last year that the Commission found was “frivolous.”
Planas said he’s filing an appeal because the Commission didn’t lay “the proper foundation for their order.”
Weiss, 55, has ambitious goals, but many require approval from a GOP-led state Legislature that has made voting harder: adjusting early voting hours and precintless voting. He said his 20-plus years of experience in live remote sports broadcasting and digital distribution have prepared him to take a more transformative approach.
Weiss wants to update the county’s election technology, use a mobile app to engage voters and educate those without party affiliation that they cannot vote in partisan primaries.
Howard, 50, is a known local political operative. He presents himself as an administrator who, as North Miami Beach’s chief of staff, oversaw 500 employees across 11 departments. His selection for that job in 2021 was controversial because he had been paid by almost every elected official in the city to help them win their seats, the Herald reported.
Howard said he wants a greater communications budget to engage with voters, open two election satellite offices in the south and north ends of Miami-Dade County and move the main office closer to mass transit.
The three candidates are seeking a big job that entails transferring an enormous county bureaucracy to a new independent office and navigating new state laws that, among other things, cancel mail ballot requests every two years.
Miami-Dade’s elections chief must have a deep understanding of the electoral process.
Only one of the candidates has it.
The Herald Editorial Board endorses JUAN CARLOS “J.C.” PLANAS in the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections Democratic primary.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWho decides the political endorsements?
In advance of local and state elections, Miami Herald Editorial Board members interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The Editorial Board is composed of experienced opinion journalists and is independent of the Herald’s newsroom. Members of the Miami Herald Editorial Board are: Amy Driscoll, editorial page editor; and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
What does the endorsement process look like?
The Miami Herald Editorial Board interviews political candidates to better understand their views on public policy and how their policies will affect their constituents. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates before making an endorsement. The Editorial Board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the endorsements, but not every decision is unanimous. Candidates who decline to be interviewed will not receive an endorsement.
Is the Editorial Board partisan?
No. In making endorsements, members of the Editorial Board consider which candidates are better prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with our editorial stances or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, readiness for office, depth of knowledge of key issues and understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points.
This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
.png)
.png)
