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Elections Supervisor Tries To Clear Name In Primary Blunder

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) -- Broward County Supervisor of Elections Dr. Brenda Snipes says she is turning over an affidavit that she hopes will clear her of any legal responsibility in an election snafu.

On Tuesday, election results were inadvertently put on the Elections web page a half hour before the polls closed at 7 p.m.

That prompted the Secretary of State Ken Detzner to fire off memos to the Broward State Attorney and Sheriff asking for an investigation.

That rankled Snipes.

"I was never talked to before he made that decision," Snipes said. "I was disappointed in that."

VR Systems, a private contractor that runs the website, says one of their workers accidentally put up the results while creating a link for a Broward elections worker.

The CEO outlined the mistake in an affidavit sent to Snipes and issued an apology, saying, in part, "VR systems assumes responsibility for the error. We are taking additional measures to ensure this never occurs again."

"Her details are clear and concise anyone can understand it," said Snipes, who intends to forward the affidavit to the Sheriff and State attorney.

Was any race affected?

Chris Smith, who narrowly lost to Dale Holness for County Commission, says he doesn't think the posting of results early affected the outcome. He believes rain was the biggest factor.

But David Brown, who ran against Snipes for Supervisor and lost, thinks the snafu can influence a race.

"A half hour of discontent can have an impact," Brown said.

And while Snipes has put the blame on VR Systems, Brown feels the buck stops with Snipes.

"The notion she is not responsible is an abdication of her position," he added.

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