WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A suspended Florida county elections supervisor who failed to meet deadlines during recounts after November’s election has resigned.
Susan Bucher, a Democrat, sent a letter Friday to the Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially stepping down as Palm Beach County elections supervisor.
DeSantis suspended Bucher earlier this month, and the state Senate would have had the final say in whether she should have been permanently removed.
Bucher said in a statement that she resigned because she doubted that she could get a fair hearing in the Republican-controlled legislative body.
“The laws and our Constitution need to be changed,” Bucher said. “Florida elected officials should not be afraid to express their views and stand strong for their constituents without fear of being removed from office through fabricated allegations which would not stand up in a court of law.”
Florida had recounts in statewide races for governor, the U.S. Senate and agriculture commissioner.
DeSantis previously said Bucher violated state law by not completing recounts before a state-mandated deadline and by mishandling ballots. The county’s aging ballot counting machines had been certified by the state but broke down repeatedly during the recount.
“The elections office in Palm Beach County demonstrated on a national stage that they simply could not comply with the laws of the state,” DeSantis said earlier this month. “There was a train of problems and it was not just there was a mistake here or a mistake there, it really tarnished the image of the State of Florida.”
Bucher is a former state representative who had held the elections position since 2008. DeSantis named Republican lawyer Wendy Link to replace her.
Gov. DeSantis suspends Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WTXL) - Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher, effective immediately.
Friday's order follows the recommendation of Secretary of State Michael Ertel to remove Bucher from office.
Bucher was under fire during the statewide recount in the Florida governor and U.S. Senate elections.
The governor has also accepted the resignation of former Broward County Supervisor of Elections Dr. Brenda Snipes, effective Jan. 4, 2019, formally terminating her duties.
“Today, we turn our attention to the need to restore faith in our elections processes here in Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “During the 2018 General Election, Florida had 65 out of 67 counties that ran good elections. Supervisor Bucher demonstrated she was unable to comply with the laws of our state and her duties as the Supervisor of Elections and failed to accurately report information related to the number of ballots that had been cast. For these reasons, I am suspending Susan Bucher as Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, effective immediately. It is time to turn the page in Palm Beach County to ensure accountability and transparency from our elections officials.”
To replace Bucher, DeSantis has appointed Wendy Sartory Link.
He also appointed Afghanistan veteran Chris Anderson as Seminole County Supervisor of Elections to fill the vacancy created by Secretary of State Michael Ertel.
