Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections v. Kurt S. Browning

SC07-2074

Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections collected enough signatures to put an amendment on the 2006 ballot in Sarasota County requiring the county to use paper ballots in future elections and requiring mandatory audits by an independent auditing firm prior to the certification of election results. The county Board of Commissioners and elections supervisors went to court, questioning the constitutionality of the amendment. The trial court ordered the paper ballot amendment on the ballot and Sarasota voters approved it. But the county officials appealed the trial court ruling and the Second District Court of Appeal concluded the amendment was unconstitutional, agreeing with the county that state law pre-empted local law in this area.

Sarasota County