Your quarterly news & updates from the Supervisor of Elections Office |
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From Supervisor Chambless
“Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy."
― Robert Kennedy
Last month, in another state’s jurisdiction, it was announced that a significant number of mail ballots returned by voters were unable to be scanned due to a printing error by its vendor. The problem was discovered shortly after canvassing began on Election Day in that state.
That county’s Board of Elections explained the incorrect printing happened after elections staff had approved the vendor’s test ballots, which had the correct ID code and had scanned properly.
While Clay County Elections Office can certainly empathize with this story, we do have several advantages in place to prevent this issue.
In Clay County, we code or create our own election files, and subsequently our ballots in house, and are the only source from which any ballot is created. The test ballots are used and validated through every part of the process. We also randomly sample ballots from all our production methods- including our Ballot on Demand printers (used during in person voting), ExpressVote (ADA) machines, and Vote by Mail ballots, to use in pretesting and Logic and Accuracy testing.
The biggest difference is that state’s law doesn’t allow mail ballots to be opened until after 7 AM on Election Day. Florida law states Vote by Mail ballots can begin being processed once we’ve completed the Logic and Accuracy Test. Any anomalies or errors can be identified far in advance of Election Day and gives us plenty of time to make corrections and alert voters to any problems.
We do our absolute best to minimize the chance of errors, but they can happen. However, having the time to find a potential problem and, more importantly, to correct it, gives Clay County a distinct advantage.
Chris
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Redistricting Updates
Following each U.S. Census, the Legislature redraws the districts from which Florida voters elect their representatives to adjust for growth throughout the state. These districts determine which voters participate in which elections and are required to be as equal in population as possible.
The 2020 Census showed that Clay County’s population grew by 27,000 people. The Board of County Commissioners and the School Board passed bills creating one map aligning the districts to help simplify things for voters. Congressional, House, and Senate districts have also changed. You can view them on our Interactive Voter Map.
Now that Redistricting is completed, the Elections Office will be sending out new Voter Information Cards to every voter in Clay County. The Voter Information Card lists your voting districts for U.S. Congress, State Senate, State House, County Commission, and School Board. This card will also contain your Election Day precinct and polling location.
Your precinct, polling location, and representation may have changed. We encourage all voters to review the information on the card. If you need to make any changes, please visit our website or click the link below.
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Clay County Elections Office Wins "Clearie" Award for Expo |
We're excited to announce that the Clay County Elections Office was named a 2021 Clearinghouse Award winner in the category of Outstanding Innovations in Elections for our Elections Expo, a behind-the-scenes look at the Florida elections process which highlighted the multiple safeguards in place to ensure every election is secure and accurate.
The Clearinghouse Awards, also known as the “Clearie” Awards, are presented annually across the U.S. for best practices in election administration by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC is charged with serving as a clearinghouse for election administration information. To further this mission, the EAC launched the Clearies in 2016 to promote best practices in elections and celebrate the accomplishments of election officials.
EAC Commissioner and 2021 Chairman, Donald Palmer said, “Despite ongoing challenges, election officials proved once again that they are some of the greatest civic leaders our nation has to offer. Their adaptability and perseverance allowed millions of voters across the country to successfully cast their votes...”
With the next election season approaching, it’s more important than ever to establish the Clay County Elections Office as the source for verified election information and #TrustedInfo2022.
Security, accuracy, transparency, and integrity are not just buzzwords in our office. They are what we strive to deliver, not just every election, but in every day, and every interaction. Our objective is to create advocates, not only for the Clay County Elections Office, but for the Florida elections process overall.
If you missed our Elections Expo, you can watch the recap below.
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#TrustedInfo2022 Campaign |
The Elections Office has joined the Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE), along with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in the #TrustedInfo2022 voter education effort. The campaign promotes state and local election officials as the trusted sources for election information.
The goal is to ensure the integrity of Florida’s elections and to support fair, honest, and accurate elections in the State of Florida. As elections professionals, we’re committed to being the official trusted sources of election-related information in Florida. While there is a lot of information about voting and elections on the internet and social media, not all of it is credible. The Florida Department of State and Clay County Supervisor of Elections Office is your source for verified election information.
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On Tuesday, April 12, voters in the City of Green Cove Springs and the Town of Orange Park had the chance to cast their ballots. In Green Cove Springs, Thomas Michael Smith won City Council Seat 4 and incumbent Steven Kelley retained City Council Seat 5. Orange Park Town Council had its Seat 4 race, which incumbent Susana Thompson retained.
Both municipalities had one board member retain their seat because they were unopposed. Green Cove Springs' Connie Butler didn’t face opposition for Seat 1 and will enter her final term, while in Orange Park, Randy Anderson secured a second term without opposition.
Keystone Heights also had an incumbent council member, Tony Brown, and a new candidate, Christine Thompson, win seats without opposition.
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Upcoming 2022 Election Dates
Primary Election- August 23, 2022
Last day to register to vote is July 25, 2022
General Election- November 8, 2022
Last day to register to vote is October 11, 2022
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Unsure if you're eligible to cast a ballot in the upcoming elections? Visit us
online to see!
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Need to Register to Vote? |
If you're new to Florida, or have never been registered to vote, now's the time! The deadline to register or make a party change for the Primary Election is Monday, July 25.
Registering to vote only takes a few minutes, you can even do it online! Or pick up a paper registration form at any public library, Tax Collector's offices, or our office in Green Cove Springs.
We encourage all voters to check their status and make any changes or updates prior to voting.
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Handwriting changes over time. If you have noticed a change in your handwriting, and particularly your signature, please update your signature with the Elections Office. It's important that we have your current signature on file because it's used to verify your Vote by Mail ballot and/or candidate and initiative petitions. If your signature has changed, you may update it at any time by submitting a new Voter Registration Application.
Signature updates can be made at any time, but must be received before Vote by Mail ballots are canvassed in order to be accepted for an election. (F.S. 98.077)
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Our Election Worker Coordinator, Stacey Whitehead has been staying busy updating our Election Worker training! We're excited to show everyone the new equipment and procedures for the upcoming Election cycle!
We'll be starting training classes very soon, so be on the lookout for the information. We love our Election Workers and we could not be as successful as we are without their hard work!
Though we're lucky to have a fantastic group of Election Workers who return again and again, we're always looking to recruit new people- especially as the county grows bigger and bigger! If you or someone you know may be interested, please contact Stacey!
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The Clay County Sheriff's Office held their Hammer and Hope Event to help combat drug addiction at the First Baptist Church of Keystone Heights in March.
We joined other local government offices, non-profits, and organizations to offer free services to residents and those in need.
This event helps to facilitate community partnerships between these organizations and the families and individuals who live in Clay County.
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School Registration Drives |
One of the best things about conducting our high school (and college) registration drives is getting to interact with our future voters. In April, we visited Middleburg High School, St. Johns Country Day School, Clay High School, and St. Johns River State College.
Students were able to register (or pre-register) to vote or make updates to their current record. We made our second appearance at Middleburg High this year and gave a short presentation about the voter registration process and election information.
Both SJRSC and St. Johns Country Day School opted for outdoor registration drives in their courtyards. Many of the students spent a few minutes of their lunch break filling out Voter Registration forms and enjoying the beautiful weather.
Clay High School asked the Elections Office to help with their Class Officer Elections and offer voter registration as well. You can read more about our high school election below.
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Student Government Elections |
We spent an exciting Friday afternoon helping Clay High School students choose their class officers.
After their classmates checked in the voters, rising sophomore, junior, and senior students received their individual ballots and were shown to a voting booth.
Once their choices were made, students inserted their ballots into our DS 200s. We had great feedback from the students who were excited to cast a ballot on real election equipment.
We often forget that voting, especially for the first time, can be intimidating for some. Opportunities like this allow students to become familiar with the process and build excitement for the real thing!
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SSYRA Election
The Sunshine State Young Readers Award Election (SSYRA) is conducted every spring. Children across Florida who have read three or more SSYRA books are able to vote on their favorite.
SSYRA focuses on teaching kids to read for enjoyment and also introduces the importance of voting to students.
As you can see, our media technicians in Clay County go all out to make the experience as fun and educational as possible! We love seeing our future voters engaged and excited about having their voice heard!
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Clay County Fair
The Clay County Fair is one of the most popular events of the spring! The Elections Office spent March 31 to April 10 at the Fairgrounds. This year's theme was "Big Wheels and Pig Squeals."
Thank you to all our awesome volunteers who helped new residents register to vote and current voters update their information. They answered questions about the upcoming elections and passed out literature and fun elections swag! We couldn't do it without your help!
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Green Cove Springs' Annual RiverFest is one of the best Memorial Day events around! Held in beautiful Spring Park, the event is filled with tons of arts and craft vendors, food trucks, and entertainment.
The day kicks off with a ceremony recognizing the memory of those who have given their all, and ends with fireworks! Our booth stayed busy with new voters and current ones who were curious about Redistricting. Thanks to our volunteer Jerry for coming out to help!
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Our Elections Services team has been working tirelessly on precinct maps and in our Warehouse. There are supplies being ordered, classes being scheduled, and contingency plans being made. There are so many moving parts as we ramp up to election season!
As our county grows, we've needed to have more equipment available, which means rearranging most of the Warehouse. Along with that, they've been updating equipment, cleaning and labeling, and preparing our materials for the Primary Election. The new equipment also means revising the procedures and manuals for our staff and Election Workers.
With Redistricting done, there are also new precinct maps to add and updates to our website. As we move closer to the Primary, the team will be coding ballots and testing the equipment in preparation.
Though our Elections Services team is extremely busy, our success relies on these details and their hard work!
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Between candidates filing, verifying petition signatures, receiving reports from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), processing new registrations and registration updates, our Voter Services team has also stayed busy!
There are also procedures to review, timelines to revise, proofs to approve, legal notices to submit, and, with Redistricting finished, new Voter Information Cards getting ready to be mailed out.
There's no shortage of tasks as we shift into election mode. The preparation now will only help more in the future.
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2022 FSE Summer Conference
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Several members of the Elections team attended the annual Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) 2022 Summer Conference in Destin. The FSE is a nonprofit association representing the Supervisors of Elections from all of Florida's 67 counties.
We gathered with other election professionals from around the state to exchange best practices and prepare for the 2022 elections.
Along with updates from the Division of Elections, we enjoyed several speakers, and had some productive breakout sessions.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd installed the new FSE Officers. The Executive Committee is elected by FSE membership and serve as additional standing committee members. Officers take office on the Monday following installation at Summer Conference and serve a one-year term.
We appreciate the opportunity to work together, meet one another, and serve as the trusted sources of election information.
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Happy Anniversary
Leslie............10 years*
Anthony..........4 years
*Denotes full-time employment
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Happy Birthday
Marti...............3/7
Lynn...............3/11
Magy...............3/28
Holly...............4/14
Jill...................5/31
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