The race to replace the outgoing election supervisor in the Florida Keys includes a Democratic former state representative and a Republican candidate who was one of two top GOP leaders under investigation for voter fraud during the primary.

The contest to fill the post of Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin pits Democrat Ron Saunders against Republican candidate Sherri Hodies. Griffin is retiring after taking office in 2012.

WLRN reached out to Saunders and Hodies to talk about their platform. Both sat for interviews on primary day, but only Saunders could be reached for follow-up ahead of the at-large race.

The investigation, launched after a complaint from a Republican party member, focuses on county party chair Rhonda Rebman-Lopez and county party treasurer Hodies. At issue is a vote last April by county Republicans to support Hodies in the primary against former Key West City Commissioner Margaret Romero and to allow a $20,000 contribution to Hodies’ campaign.

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Ron Saunders

Saunders, known as Conch, is a 5th-generation Keys native and former Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives. Saunders said his experience in election training sets him apart from his opponent.

“I registered for the 2022 primary and general elections. “I did the training sessions, it was early voting and vote-by-mail, (and I) worked the polls on election day,” he said. “I’m the only candidate who actually went through all of this.”

Saunders has received bipartisan support and has found a supporter across the aisle in Republican Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay.

“People want someone who is non-partisan,” Saunders said. “(Someone) is going to call them as they see them, not just because of what political party the candidate might be, but whoever gets the most votes wins and just allows us to have safe and secure elections.”

Sherri Hoodies

Hodies grew up in Ohio and moved to the Florida Keys in the early 2000s.

He holds a master’s degree in business administration and a certificate in paralegal studies and previously worked as a business administrative coordinator for Honda of America.

“The Supervisor of Elections job is a management job,” Hodies told WLRN on primary night in August. “It’s not a politician’s job. So I threw my hat in the ring because I’m not a politician and I wanted to do what was best for the voters of Monroe County.

Hodies currently serves as Monroe County Republican Party Treasurer, President of the Southernmost Republican Club, and Chair of the Monroe County GOP Voter Registration Education and Outreach Committee.

Investigation

Governor Ron DeSantis last month ordered An investigation into election fraud and illegal distribution of funds was launched and State’s Attorney Amira Fox was appointed to oversee the investigation.

The investigation focuses on the endorsement and campaign contributions Hodies received from the Monroe County Republican Executive Committee (REC), where he served as treasurer.

His support in favoring Hodies over Republican candidate Margaret Romero in the primary race was allegedly tied to a $20,000 campaign contribution.

The endorsement and donation originally resulted from a vote by the Monroe County Republican Executive Committee in April. Key West CitizenOf the 63 members of the committee, 38 were present and 20 were in favor of approval and 18 opposed the motion.

Phyllis May, a Key West Republican, filed a complaint about voting and funding in July, prompting an investigation into whether the vote and subsequent funding disbursements were legal or involved a simple majority of the committee’s 63 members. Hodies and GOP chairman Rebman Lopez were the subjects of the complaint.

Hodies agreed to three interviews with WLRN but canceled them. He did not respond to questions sent via text message about the investigation.

Hodies posted about the investigation on Facebook and his campaign website.

“I have recused myself from the distribution of funds as I currently serve as treasurer of the REC,” he wrote in an Oct. 17 Facebook post. “Our Chairman of the Board of Directors wrote and signed the check in order to complete the contribution made by our members with their votes.”

Saunders said the ongoing investigation was a serious matter.

“I doubt this will be resolved before the Nov. 5 election,” Saunders said. “But I think that’s a big problem when you’re running for election supervisor and you’re charged with felony election fraud. That’s probably something that voters are concerned about.”