Anna Maria’s election results will be delayed for several days by a challenge from candidate Chuck Webb.
Some Anna Maria voters were surprised Nov. 8 when they arrived to the poll to find their voting rights challenged — even more so when they discovered Anna Maria Commission candidate Chuck Webb filed the challenges.
Webb filed 96 voter challenges the day prior to Election Day, which resulted in 16 mail-in ballots and 80 voters casting ballots at the polls being excluded from Tuesday night’s pre-certification election results.
Bob Patten, who has lived in Anna Maria for two years and served on the Anna Maria City Pier Park Committee, said he and his wife Kathy went to the polls at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, to vote, only to be told their right to vote had been challenged by Webb. They were provided provisional ballots.
“I understand that people have the right to challenge voters, but it’s just annoying that we have no reason.… Chuck knows my wife and me, I’m surprised our names are on the list,” Patten said.
Patten has not been involved in any campaigning in this election cycle, national or local, and said he did not know why Webb filed the challenge.
He has a homestead exemption on his full-time residence on Gladiolus Street.
Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said provisional ballots for the challenged voters would be reviewed Nov. 10 for consideration in the final results published Nov. 11, but the ballots would not be included in the results announced on election night.
Webb is running for re-election to a two-year term for city commission against incumbent Nancy Yetter and challenger Brian Seymour.