A hotly contested Republican Primary is set for Seminole County Elections Supervisor

Chris Anderson versus Amy Pennock for the Seminole County of Elections Supervisor race.

Seminole County Elections Supervisor Chris Anderson wants another term after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him in 2019 and voters backed him in 2020.

But the embattled Anderson has drawn a challenge from Amy Pennock in the Republican Primary on Aug. 20 in a hotly contested race.

Pennock, a Seminole County School Board member, won the backing of the GOP establishment and is supported by the county’s Republican executive committee, which wants to unseat the controversial elections chief often in the headlines. Anderson has accused county leaders of racism and was recently sued by a former county attorney for his Facebook Live tirade.

Pennock said Anderson has grossly abused his public office to further his own political agenda and is hurting the department.

She said her list of concerns regarding Anderson’s incompetence and misconduct include him hiring unqualified friends at high salaries, inappropriately endorsing Donald Trump, publicly feuding with County Commissioners and more. 

“The number of reports I have heard regarding people getting multiple ballots, or people registered in other jurisdictions receiving sample ballots, etc. is astonishing,” Pennock said. “I will work to minimize and mitigate the damage the incumbent has incurred on the office through the loss of nearly its entire top level staff, and along with it several decades worth of institutional knowledge.”

Meanwhile, Anderson said he stands up for the voters — not the GOP establishment.

“Some within the GOP establishment are focused on making choices for voters by attempting to distract them with smear campaigns that are offensive and untrue,” he said. “From my understanding, Seminole County voters, by and large, are outraged at the tactics being used and have rejected the messaging and those who support it outwardly and in silence.”

Anderson insisted he deserves another four-year term and wants to prioritize growing voter turnout, developing a mobile app and improving infrastructure, including for elections cybersecurity.

“I am running on my record, including The United States E.A.C. Outstanding Local Election Office award,” Anderson said.

“Under my leadership, Seminole County voters have seen improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and transparency, most importantly, election result reporting that needed updating from outdated procedures and year-over-year ballot printing cost savings while increasing the Seminole County elections office cybersecurity infrastructure.”

Pennock, a forensic accountant by trade, is running on a platform of being tested, trusted and transparent.

“As the next Supervisor of Elections I will seek to restore the institutional knowledge, and take steps to make sure that people can once again trust the process from start to finish,” she said. “We may not always like the outcomes, but as your next Supervisor of Elections, there will be no question regarding the integrity of the process and the results.”