Arnold Weiss

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Arnold Weiss

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 20, 2024

Education

High school

University School of Nova University

Bachelor's

Syracuse University, 1991

Personal

Birthplace

Pasadena, Calif.

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Executive

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

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Personal Instagram

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Arnold Weiss (Democratic Party) (also known as Arnie) ran for election for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections in Florida. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 20, 2024.

Weiss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Arnold Weiss was born in Pasadena, California. He earned a high school diploma from University School of Nova University and a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1991. His career experience includes working as an entertainment and broadcasting executive. He has been affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2024)

General election

General election for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections

Alina Garcia defeated Juan-Carlos Planas in the general election for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alina Garcia (R)	55.8	580,061
		Juan-Carlos Planas (D)	44.2	458,770

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,038,831
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections

Juan-Carlos Planas defeated Willis Howard and Arnold Weiss in the Democratic primary for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Juan-Carlos Planas	46.2	51,119
		Willis Howard	39.1	43,241
		Arnold Weiss	14.8	16,366

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 110,726
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Alina Garcia advanced from the Republican primary for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ruth Swanson (R)
• Megan Pearl (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Weiss in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released July 21, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Arnold Weiss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Weiss' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a proud lifelong Democrat who has spent most of his life in South Florida. I previously took on Miami-Dade County to replace touch screen voting machines (with our current solution) in 2004-2005 because of a lack of verifiable paper trail; and because older voters couldn't see the screen and couldn't cast votes for themselves. This resulted in the optical scan voting solution with two chances to correct your ballot that we have today.

I believe the people of this county deserve a Supervisor who has the professional track record and experience to do the work needed to improve both Department of Elections.

I have a plan to move us to Precinctless voting on Election Day so people can vote where they are in the county not just where they live. This will eliminate lines at opening and closing time while also making it harder for groups and communities to be targeted for suppression since they would be able to vote countywide. This already works for early voting.

Professionally, I have more than 25 years developing data driven distribution solutions and user experiences for broadcast networks, movie studios, and digital properties; as well as several government agencies and non-government organizations.

I also have more than 20 years in live remote sports television for ABC, ESPN, and CBS (where I was a member of the IBEW) covering operations, production, and engineering.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need to enable every legally eligible citizen to cast their vote so we can increase voter turnout beyond the 20% turnout level at primaries and municipal elections. My plan is to allow voters to vote at any precinct in the county on election day. We already do this during early voting. This will help eliminate lines at opening and closing times; while also preventing suppression and targeting of communities. We will adjust early voting hours on weekends to 9:00 PM so people who work multiple jobs will have the chance to vote in person; the Orthodox Jewish Community can vote after sundown on Saturday; and for more time for Souls to the Polls on Sundays.
• Modernizing the Department so we move away from signature matching and towards Biometrics. This will increase voter confidence in the integrity of elections while also moving us into the 21st Century, already.

  We must also work with the Clerks Office, as well as, the Departments of Corrections and Probations so the Departments provides accurate and binding information to voters who are seeking to reclaim their voting rights safely and without fear or reprisals.

  We must also Integrate available technology so we can greatly speed the processing time at polling places and eliminate lines of people waiting to be processed during early voting and on election day.
• We must look at moving the Department so it is more accessible to the citizens of the county. The Department should also separate itself from the County's technology infrastructure following a transition period so that it is not dependent on the County for solution that will not ultimately suit the needs of the Department. This will also allow us to create a more secure environment by reducing access points for hackers and others seeking to infiltrate government IT systems. This will also prove to be far more cost efficient then what occurs when mismatched pieces are forced together because it works at another department.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ensuring that all legally eligible voters have full and equal access to vote. Guaranteeing the full equal rights of all citizens regardless of gender, race, or sexual identity. The right to healthcare and to make ones healthcare decisions without government interference. The need for a living wage indexed to inflation so it can never fall behind the standard of living. Government should have the ability to negotiate all prescription drug pricing as a means of preventing gouging of Americans. The right to a quality education for all citizens regardless of age or ability. The right to clean air, as well as clean and safe water.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Tzedakah which is the Hebrew word for philanthropy and charity. But is also a form of social justice in which those who give of themselves benefit from giving as much or more than the recipients. Tzedakah is about building trusting relationships and community through contributions of time, work, and knowledge.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe that the most important trait for people to look for in elected leaders is empathy through deeds and not just words. Our ability to step outside of ourselves and instead to understand what others are dealing with is how we get to better policy. It is also the way by which we reach compromise and understand that we must work together and cannot simply look out for ourselves.

To this end since February of 2022 my wife Silvia and I have devoted a lot of our time on the ground providing food and material aid on both sides of the Slovak-Ukraine Border to the women, children, and elderly who have been displaced by Russia’s war on Ukraine. I was honored to have received recognition from the City of Miami Beach who proclaimed my birthday in April of 2022,  Arnie Weiss Day". Here is the video from the ceremony:

https://youtu.be/QNW5ZXrt0Ag

Here we are on NBC6 during the early days of the war:

https://youtu.be/vJAeHuABGCE

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Empathy, creativity, determination, and a never ending belief that challenges are opportunities for solutions. I genuinely enjoy the collaborative process and that the people we get to encounter in our lives are what makes everyday an opportunity to grow individually and as a team. I always say I am like my blood type (B Positive)

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To guarantee that every legally eligible voter in Miami-Dade County has the full and equal opportunity to cast their ballot in every election for which they are eligible. The Supervisor must also make sure that all legally cast votes are accurately and precisely counted and that no party is allowed to intimidate or otherwise disrupt the counting process. The Supervisor in Miami-Dade must also have the knowledge and experience necessary to run a public facing organization that is heavily reliant on its IT infrastructure. Being able to properly evaluate and implement the solutions necessary to bring the Department into the 21st Century is vital to maintaining and in some case restoring restoring confidence in our elections results. . Too many of the Departments systems and workflows rely on late 1990s tech with many other functions still being carried out on paper. The Supervisor must ensure that only legally eligible candidates appear on the ballot and that the systems necessary to catch these issues are in place. This is not the case today as we have an ineligible candidate in House District 107 on the ballot in August 2024 due to systems failures in Tallahassee. The Supervisor must also educate the public as to how the elections process works, particularly in Florida where we have closed primaries that only allow for voting by registered party members for many of the most important races on the ballot. The Supervisor must also get out in the community and listen to the issues facing voters so that they know that their voice is the Supervisor's voice. It is also of paramount importance that the Supervisor be able to go into the schools and encourage younger voters to register and to also become poll workers.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to know that I left this place better than I found it.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My earliest memory is the Summer of 1972 on Miami Beach. I was 3 when both political conventions were on Miami Beach in 1972 and my Dad was providing food service to all 3 networks. I also remember the tragedy at the Munich Olympics because of how it effected the community.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I started working for ABC Sports in live remote sports TV when I was 11. I would open and close the camera gate behind home plate at postseason baseball games. I wound up staying in live remote TV until moving into digital video products in 1999 but still did games until 2004.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. Ellis manages to brilliantly sew together the various events that actually allowed us to become the United States of America. Understanding how important the question of "Assumption" was in not only establishing Washington, DC as our nations capitol but also our national credit and in laying the foundations for what would be our Federal system of government. The book also humanizes the Founders by allowing us to better understand that these were ultimately men capable of incredible wisdom and foresight in so many instances but also completely capable of lacking in both such as the arguments against the Quaker Petition of 1790 which sought to abolish slavery; only to be brushed aside by arguments of fantasy that freed slaves would choose to live peacefully if emancipated. The complicated role of Alexander Hamilton and the role his ego would ultimately play in his falling out with Washington to his untimely demise in Weehawken. Ellis makes the point that it is very easy to look back now and see the brilliance and to forget just how easily it all could have gone wrong but for determination and fellowship shared by those who brought us all together. E Pluribus Unum is our nations founding motto for a reason as we are truly "out of many, one".

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Buck Rogers...because he got to be around in the 25th Century. Our time here is so fleeting and I have to say that I do wish I could see where we get to down the road. I generally think we will either end up on the Star Trek path of trying to forge a better humanity and society versus the Star Wars path where its all about making a Death Star.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Freebird

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Sweets...I have largely given up drinking Coke but for most of my life I drank more than 2 liters a day.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Ha! Probably can't do that here but I will tell this one:
A billionaire is sitting at a table with a union electrician and a teacher with 12 cookies in the middle of the table. The billionaire grabs eleven of the cookies and looks at the electrician and says, "Be careful or that teacher is going to take your cookie"

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Sunshine is the world's greatest disinfectant. We must take the campaign finance laws to the ballot if necessary so we eliminate the unlimited amounts of money that have too long perverted our system here in the State of Florida. The last 25 years have seen an erosion of our sunshine laws and ethics standards at the peril of the people of this State who have been constantly sold out by their elected officials.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections

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