Rules Committee recommends incumbent Gerard Gleeson for Elections Commission seat after contested hearing

The Rules Committee recommended Gerard Gleeson for a five-year term on the Elections Commission after a contested hearing that also featured applicant Bob Planthold, who emphasized voting accessibility and Sunshine-law compliance.

Gerard Gleeson, who has served as the Board-appointed elections commissioner for five years, highlighted practical experience managing elections operations and improving ballot-counting procedures. "I serve every single election as a poll worker," Gleeson said, adding that his work implementing ranked-choice voting and addressing provisional-ballot counts improved vote tabulation. Gleeson described steps taken to reduce provisional ballot errors between February and November contests.

Bob Planthold, the competing applicant, urged the commission to avoid a two-tier voting system that leaves voters using direct-recording electronic machines with less transparent records. He criticized the frequent use of 'remakes' — duplicating ballots to allow tabulation — and warned that reliance on DREs can marginalize print-impaired voters. "It is setting up a semi segregatory system," Planthold said, arguing the commission should seek a uniform, verifiable ballot system and better accessibility.

Supervisors praised both candidates but noted the benefit of maintaining an experienced commissioner in place while exploring opportunities to add further expertise to election oversight. The committee moved to recommend Gleeson and the motion passed without objection.

What’s next: The committee’s recommendation will be considered by the full Board on its next calendar; supervisors indicated interest in quickly filling any additional vacancies so both candidates’ qualifications can be used in city election oversight work.