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Indian River County Supervisor of Elections Office
Spring News 2017
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SPRING NEWS



Voting System Acquisition Update
Indian River County is in the process of acquiring a new voting system- a process that requires many months of planning and review. Florida election law mandates that by 2020 all counties must be using a voting system which enables all voters the ability to cast a vote in the same manner, regardless of physical limitations. Knowing that Indian River County's current voting system would not pass the test, Supervisor of Elections Leslie Swan approached the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) in 2015 about reserving funds for the future purchase of a new voting system. The time has come- my how time flies!

Strict rules govern the acquisition process. Once the completed RFPs are submitted to the county's purchasing department, the following steps take place:
  • March 1: Elections Office reviews the RFPs and makes recommendations
  • March 21: BCC approves the awarding of the contract
  • April-May: Planning meetings are held with the approved vendor
  • May 15-31: Receipt of the approved voting equipment
  • June: Logic and accuracy testing, staff training and mock elections
The new voting equipment will be deployed for the November 7, 2017 Municipal Elections, so stay tuned for future updates and voting equipment demos!  
Florida election officials take Election Center's 2017 Special Workshop and certification classes by storm, with 44 supervisors and staff from 20 different counties.
Election Center 2017 Special Workshop
A total of 144 election officials from across the country and Guam attended the two day workshop on Voter Registration and Elections Security, held in Savannah, Georgia. Topics discussed included Security of Vote by Mail Ballots, the Use of Checklists, What Election Administrators Should be Asking Vendors About Security Procedures, the Professional Measurement Project, Plain Language Explanations of How Systems Work and a Collaborative Approach to Security in Elections Administration.
Voter Registration Update
Our office recently notified 2,625 voters that their party affiliation was changed from Independent to no party affiliation. The change comes after the counties were notified by the state that the Independent party of Florida was disbanded. Another 1,850 voters were contacted by our office as part of our ongoing efforts to maintain up-to-date voter records. We compare our records to those from the United States Postal Service. Voters whose records were tagged are mailed an address confirmation card to verify the information received from the National Change of Address data is correct. 

Protected Addresses
Under Florida Law, Section 119.071, some voters and family members may request to have their addresses, date of birth and telephone numbers be exempt from public records of voter registration rolls.  These voters typically work in law enforcement fields, although there are many more exemption categories. The Public Records Exemption Request Form DOS-119, can be found at VoteIndianRiver.com or by clicking the link above. The completed form may be mailed to our office at 4375 43rd Avenue, Vero Beach, FL  32967 or emailed to  info@voteindianriver.com.
Election Worker Update
Here is a quick update from Election Worker Coordinator Shane Bias, who recently celebrated his two year work anniversary. Woohoo!

Fifteen people attended our January orientation, a stark difference from our  2016 orientation classes. Despite the reduced attendance, which is to be expected during odd numbered years, those in attendance were outstanding. I am diligently reformatting election worker manuals, swapping out election worker vests for lanyards to cut down on associated cleaning costs, and working towards my Certified Election/Registration Administrator (CERA) designation. Next orientation: Wednesday, March 15 at 10:00 a.m. I look forward to seeing many new smiling faces. Call (772) 226-3844  or email SBias@voteindianriver.com for more information or to RSVP.
Meet Daisy Zamora, Our New
Vote-By-Mail Coordinator
Daisy graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2014 with a Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management. Previous to joining our team, Daisy was the Front Desk Supervisor for the Hyatt Place Convention Center in Orlando. She has much to offer the Vote-By-Mail Department and Elections Office with her strong background in customer service. As a Fort Pierce native, Daisy is thrilled to return to her east coast roots, where her parents and three out of seven siblings live. Two fun facts about Daisy: she helps prepare hundreds of tamales, with her mom, who is extremely well-known in their community for her delicious Mexican dish; Daisy and her husband Liove met in college and later discovered that their parents are from the same town in Mexico. We hope you will stop by the Indian River County's Sheriff's BBQ on Wednesday, March 1 to meet Daisy or to request a vote-by-mail ballot.
Pop In To Register or Attend A Facility Tour
Top: Pop In To Register is a huge success in our local high schools and around the county. 30 Sebastian River Sharks and 35 Vero Beach Indians registered to vote during the month of February.  We suppose the smell, taste and sound of our popcorn maker is too irresistible to pass up! Bottom: Our facility tours are a fantastic way for people of all ages to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into running an election. Bottom left: 18 working professionals from Indian River County's Chamber of Commerce 2017 Leadership Class visited in January as part of Session 1: County Government. Bottom right: A slightly younger group of 30 kindergarten through second graders and 20 chaperones from Vero Beach Academy joined us the following week. To schedule a tour or voter registration drive for your organization, call Stephanie Nelson at (772) 226-3446. 
Starting March 27, hundreds of Indian River County students will begin voting for their favorite books, using voting equipment programmed by the Elections Office. 
Plus, this year students can vote online!  Elections staff create ballots using a program called DoubleClick Democracy. Teachers are loving this new option, since it provides them with greater scheduling flexibility. For details, call (772) 226-3457.

 

Democracy Starts With You! 

4375 43rd Avenue
Vero Beach, FL 32967
Phone: (772) 226-3440
VoteIndianRiver.com


Leslie Rossway Swan

Indian River County

Supervisor of Elections

Copyright © 2017 Indian River County Supervisor of Elections, All rights reserved.


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