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Hillsborough
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Creating paper trail: Democrats Steve Henley and Rob MacKenna want to find a way to back up touch screen voting results with a piece of paper.
By DAVID KARP, Times Staff Writer
Published August 24, 2004
Two Democrats who work with computers want to be the next supervisor of elections.
And both are campaigning on a platform to get an old-fashioned piece of paper to back up computer voting machines that were installed after the 2000 presidential recount.
Steve Henley and Rob MacKenna are first-time candidates. The winner faces Buddy Johnson, a Republican former state legislator appointed to the post after Pam Iorio resigned to run for Tampa mayor in 2003. Johnson favors the current computer system, which has no paper backup.
Henley, 37, a technical analyst at Syniverse Technologies, a communications company in Tampa, says his computer expertise will help with Hillsborough's touch screen machines.
Henley was an international observer of the presidential referendum in Venezuela. Henley is an officer of Free Venezuela, a Tampa group seeking to promote awareness of Venezuela's political crisis. Henley says he speaks fluent Spanish and has studied in Bogota, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
MacKenna, 33, has gained attention as one of the "Dean Dozen" for getting an endorsement from former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. He worked in Dean's presidential campaign.
To increase his visibility, MacKenna has sponsored protests to demand a paper backup to electronic voting machines. He also writes a regular blog on his campaign Web site, www.Rob2004.com
MacKenna wants to get 90 percent of all eligible voters registered - an ambitious goal since about 75 percent of voters are registered now. He said he would identify homes without any registered voters and invite them to sign up.
He also wants to put Hillsborough's voting machines in public schools for student elections.
MacKenna, a computer programmer for Eckerd Corp., said he has the experience to oversee a countywide election. He said he helps process Eckerd's prescription drug inventory.
"I've been under positions of high responsibility and high stress," he said.
DEMOCRATS
STEVEN HENLEY, 37, works as a technical analyst for Syniverse Technologies in Tampa. He also has worked as an agent for a rental car company and as an account manager for a computer and graphics business. He is president of the Villas of St. Charles Homeowners Association, the townhome association in Riverview where he lives. He is secretary-treasurer of Free Venezuela Inc., a nonprofit that promotes awareness of political issues in Venezuela. Born in Phoenix, Henley attended Catholic schools in Pinellas County and graduated from the University of Florida in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is single . ASSETS: home, stock, IRA, investments, savings plan, car. LIABILITIES: home mortgage. INCOME: company salary, dividends. WEB SITE: www.stevehenley.com
ROB MacKENNA, 33, works as a computer programmer for Eckerd Corp. He also has worked as a technology consultant and a civil engineer. He campaigned for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and belongs to Democracy for America, the group Dean formed after his failed presidential bid. MacKenna graduated from Duke University in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in engineering. He also did graduate work in engineering at the University of South Florida but did not earn a degree. He is married and has a 6-year-old daughter . ASSETS: home, car, antiques. LIABILITIES: home mortgage, car loan. INCOME: company salary. WEB SITE: www.Rob2004.com
THE JOB
The supervisor of elections administers government elections in Hillsborough County . The supervisor oversees an office of 29 full-time employees with a $6.5-million budget. He serves a four-year term and earns $119,584 a year.
[Last modified August 20, 2004, 14:33:23]
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