Seminole Elections Chief Chris Anderson accused of influencing early voting, lawsuit says

Chris Anderson is being sued for blurring the lines between overseeing Seminole County elections and being a candidate up for re-election himself.

Anderson, the county’s Elections Supervisor, is running in a contested Republican Primary against challenger Amy Pennock.

The lawsuit accuses Anderson of inappropriately “greeting voters and shaking their hands as they received their ballot.” The complaint contends that Anderson’s name and logo appears prominently on signs at the early poll’s “no solicitation” zone, the ballots themselves and inside the secret ballot stations.

It’s the newest complaint against Anderson, who has faced a litany of allegations of misconduct during his tenure.

“Failing to take immediate action could result in jeopardizing the integrity of the entire voting process for this primary election,” the lawsuit said.

The attorney behind the lawsuit is a political foe of Anderson’s.

It’s filed by Philip Kaprow who was the General Counsel for Anderson’s Office until the two had a falling out. Kaprow is currently suing Anderson in Seminole Circuit Court for slander after Anderson and his wife made a Facebook Live video insulting Kaprow.

Kaprow is representing Longwood businessman Michael Towers, who donated $900 worth of food to Anderson’s opponent’s campaign.

The new lawsuit was filed Tuesday as early voting is underway, and just days before the Primary.

The lawsuit is seeking an emergency injunction to ban Anderson from directly interacting with voters within polls’ 150-foot no-solicitation zone, and to ban materials with his logo on it from the area. No court date has been set as of Friday morning, Seminole County court records showed.

“Supervisor of Elections has stated numerous times that they ‘are’ the office, and as such, they have blended their candidacy with their role as the constitutional officer to a point where they are inextricably intertwined in this set of circumstances,” the lawsuit said. “Historically both SOE and his predecessor has traditionally avoided the types of actions to which they have engaged.”

Anderson did not respond to comment immediately for the lawsuit but has previously said about his race, “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.”

Pennock, his opponent, said in a statement, “It is unfortunate that the incumbent who is responsible for enforcing the campaigning laws at poll sites does not feel obligated to follow those same laws. No one is above the law, and when tasked with an obligation as significant as the security of the vote, you must be above any indication of impropriety. That standard is not being met now, and it is disappointing for all those that respect the sanctity of the office.”