SOE Quarterly Newsletter

Fall/Winter 2024

Catch up with what's been going on in the Elections Office!

A Letter from Supervisor Chambless

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves, and the only way they could do this is by not voting."

Nanette L. Avery

With the buildup from the last several years, we knew the 2024 General Election would be one for the books. We weren’t disappointed. The General Election was a resounding success, marked by record voter turnout- nearly 128,000 people voted by Mail or in person. That’s 82% of eligible Clay County voters!

We’re so thankful to our staff, volunteers and Election Workers! Their dedicated efforts meant a smooth process for all involved. Even with a huge turnout we held an efficient and secure election.

We’re grateful to our community for your enthusiastic participation. Your engagement not only underscores the importance of civic duty but also reinforces our commitment to transparency and accuracy in every election.

As we look ahead and head into a new year, we encourage all residents to stay engaged and informed about upcoming elections. As for our team, we may take a few minutes to catch our breath, but we’ll quickly be turning our attention to the next election cycle!

Chris

Updates

We're always looking for new ways to connect with our voters and make sure they are getting timely, accurate election information. That's why we're excited to announce that we've launched TextMyGov! Simply text "CLAYVOTES" to 91896 and opt-in to receive reminders about important election dates and voting info directly to your phone!

2024 General Election

Voter Turnout

While the PPP and Primary Elections both had disappointing voter turnout, that was definitely not the case in the General Election! Over 82% of eligible voters in the county cast a ballot!

Early Voting was by far the most popular way to vote in this election- with 74,932 people voting from October 22-November 2! In fact, it beat out both Vote by Mail and Election Day combined! The flexibility of Early Voting appeals to a wide variety of people. It offers the convenience of voting on your schedule at any of the seven Early Voting sites throughout Clay County- whether you're voting before school drop off, after work, or if you'd prefer to wait until the weekend.

Behind the Scenes of Election Day

It takes an enormous amount of work to run an election. Here are just a few images of our team in action on Election Day! Most of the year, our office has 16 employees, but during election season that number swells into the hundreds! We rely heavily on our outstanding Election Workers and many volunteers that make a safe, accurate, efficient election a reality! Thank you to everyone who plays a role- we couldn't do it without you!

Election Workers

Thank You Clay County Election Workers!

Our Election Workers ROCK! We appreciate your continued support, hard work, and tireless dedication to both your community and the voting process. We couldn't do it without you!

Early Voting Rocks!

Eli from Keystone gets our vote for best costume! On Halloween, his mom sent us this fun photo from Early Voting at the Keystone Heights City Hall.

Outreach

High School Registration Drives

We visit every high school at least once during the school year to conduct voter registration drives. Just before book closing on October 7, we had one last final push and registered 507 new voters! Thanks to all the principals, teachers, students, and volunteers who helped make this happen.

DoubleClick Democracy

Not only were we busy with Supervised Voting and high school voter registration presentations, but we also helped create fun election ballots for several community groups. One ballot centered around Army/Navy football game trivia and traditions- which was so fun to research and put together! The other group wanted a ballot focused on ice cream favorites- yum! It's clear from the photos that a great time was had by all, and we love getting to see some of our future voters in action!

Around the Office

SJRState Visits the Elections Office

In October we welcomed St. Johns River State's Business Club into the office. Supervisor Chambless walked them through an overview of the election process from voter registration through Election Day and beyond. He touched on the safeguards in place to keep every vote secure. These behind-the-scenes tours are a great way to learn more about the Florida elections process and help our voters be more familiar with the three ways to vote.

It's Fri-YAY!

Just before we were swamped with election prep, we took a little time to cook up some burgers and catch up with one another. It's always nice to bond over good food and even better company!

All Aboard the Polar Express!

Every year the County has a holiday decorating contest, and this is the first year the Constitutional Offices were invited to participate. The theme was Christmas movies, and we chose Polar Express. Jill and Phyllis spearheaded the decorations, but everyone pitched in to help. We spent several days decorating almost every public space in the office and we had a blast finding creative ways to bring the movie to life. Guests and judges entered our lobby turned ticket counter and Conductor Chambless lead them on a journey past streetlights and snowflakes, onto the train (complete with moving scenery, lights, and smoke), to the North Pole where they could enjoy hot chocolate and fresh popcorn and even got to see it snow! You can see it for yourself in the video below!

We had a great time getting to show off our creativity and teamwork. We loved checking out the other offices in the county. Everyone really got into the holiday spirit and there were some beautiful displays. Our office did end up winning first place- and we can't wait to do it again!

Christmas 2024

In December, we had our annual Christmas party. Our Voter Services team was in charge of organizing it this year- and they did a wonderful job coming up with games and activities. We started off with a scavenger hunt- where we had to solve riddles and collect candy canes, played Bunco, and ended with Jeopardy. Needless to say, we're a pretty competitive group and had so much fun! Then it was time for the White Elephant gift exchange where the laughter continued as we opened each one and then had the opportunity to "steal" gifts! We also enjoyed a delicious catered lunch thanks to Rolling Stoves.

Happy Retirement Marti!

Marti Chase is retiring from the Supervisor of Elections office after nearly 11 years. Marti has made a huge impact to our team. Known for her endless energy, eye for even the smallest of details, and commitment to the elections process- we will miss her dearly!

As we bid farewell to Marti, we recognize her dedication and are thankful for the cherished memories of working with her. We wish her the best on her future adventures! Enjoy your retirement Marti!