Responsibilities of the Supervisor

The supervisor of elections administers all federal, state, county, municipal and special district elections in Sarasota County in accordance with the Florida election code, the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the National Voting Rights Act (NVRA), the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and federal voting rights laws.

Apart from general administration and office functions, the duties of the elections office include:

Voter Services

  • Administering voter registration activities throughout the county in accordance with Florida election laws
  • Processing all registration applications from qualified Florida residents
  • Issuing voter information cards
  • Maintaining accurate voter registration statistics
  • Performing periodic list maintenance to ensure accurate and current voter registration records
  • Providing training for individuals or organizations conducting voter registration
  • Maintaining precinct street index to ensure residential addresses are assigned to correct precinct and voting group
  • Updating street index, as necessary, with zip code and address changes based on information received from post office, planning board, and city and county commissions
  • Adding to index new streets, created by growth, and assigning them to precincts and voting groups

Elections

  • Maintaining and safeguarding county voting equipment
  • Testing voting equipment and programs and ballot tabulation equipment prior to each election
  • Designing, printing and proofing ballots pursuant to Florida election law
  • Processing requests for and mailing vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots and related elections materials to absentee voters, including military and overseas voters
  • Receiving and tallying vote-by-mail ballots
  • Verifying signatures on vote-by-mail ballots
  • Verifying signatures on initiative petitions and certifying results to state (DOE)
  • Working with the county and municipalities on reapportionment, redistricting and drawing precinct boundaries
  • Identifying and contracting with convenient and accessible polling places
  • Working with disability organizations to ensure all polling locations comply with ADA accessibility guidelines
  • Assisting below standard polling places to be made accessible
  • Conducting early voting at designated sites
  • Conducting supervised vote-by-mail (absentee)voting for assisted living facilities or nursing homes upon request
  • Publishing in general circulation newspaper required legal notices and documents, including sample ballots
  • Posting required notices in all polling places on election day, including instructions on how to cast a ballot
  • Delivering, setting up and retrieving voting equipment for each polling location
  • Providing laptops, registration books and all supplies and signage to each polling location on election day
  • Approving poll watchers and providing lists of designated poll watchers to polling places
  • Counting, canvassing and certifying election returns
  • Notifying voters who cast provisional ballots if their ballots are rejected and the reason for rejection
  • Recruiting and training poll workers in election law and procedures prior to each election
  • Working with disability organizations to train poll workers on etiquette and sensitivity with respect to voters with disabilities
  • Appointing clerks and assistant clerks and additional workers as necessary for all polling locations
  • Publishing uniform polling place procedures manual, which is provided to every worker and every polling place
  • Processing poll worker payroll records through the county; mailing their pay checks

Candidates/Committees/Parties

  • Providing prospective candidates with general information and guidance
  • Filing and Qualifying candidates for nomination or election to county, district and special district offices
  • Verifying and certifying petition signatures for candidates who qualify by the petition process
  • Collecting candidate qualifying fees and remitting to appropriate agency
  • Providing support to municipalities, districts and special districts in conduct of their elections
  • Providing filing and qualifying forms to municipalities for qualification of municipal candidates
  • Receiving and reviewing for completion campaign finance reports and financial disclosure statements
  • Monitoring campaign reports and assessing fines when necessary
  • Providing filing forms and guidance to and receiving and reviewing for completion financial reports from political committees
  • Receiving, reviewing for completion, and maintaining financial reports from political parties
  • Receiving annual Form 1 Financial Disclosures from certain officers and employees of local government and reporting to the state

Voter Education

  • Conducting nonpartisan education programs to ensure voters have knowledge of voting equipment and election procedures
  • Providing speakers and information on election processes, upon request, to schools, organizations and clubs
  • Conducting voter education/registration programs annually in each public high school and on each college campus in the county
  • Publishing various information and voter guides to keep the public informed about election news and law
  • Maintaining a Web site to provide candidates, voters and general public with important information and news
  • Distributing news releases to local news organizations to keep the public informed of election news
  • Producing public service announcements to inform the public of election news and law
  • Receiving and responding to individual queries from the public in person and/or via letter, phone and email
  • Working with the special needs community to ensure accessible voting and to improve participation in the electoral process
  • Creating and making available legislative, district, county, and precinct maps
  • Reporting annually to the state a detailed description of county voter education programs
  • Working with local community businesses and organizations to recruit skilled poll workers
  • Providing written translation of elections materials in language of minority groups (specified in the Voting Rights Act of 1965)
  • Receiving and responding to public records requests