Chris Anderson Applauds Governor’s Decision to Utilize ERIC

Sanford, Fla. (August 21, 2019) – Florida took a tremendous step to ensuring every vote counts by agreeing to join the nationwide Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) today. This system will allow supervisors of elections, like Chris Anderson, to crosscheck data across 29 other states.

Specifically, ERIC identifies duplicate registrations and outdated records from voters who have moved or passed away, leading to cleaner and more accurate voter registration rolls.

“One of my key roles is to provide transparent and accurate elections for everyone and, thanks to Governor DeSantis, this will be an incredible tool for our office to use as we move closer to the 2020 elections,” Anderson says. “One thing I am looking forward to using is identifying people who are eligible to vote - but haven’t yet registered with Seminole County - and providing them with clear instructions to give them the opportunity to cast their ballot in our elections.”

Supervisors from across the state have pushed Florida to become a part of the ERIC system for several years. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the move today at a conference of state supervisors of elections.

“One of my administration’s top priorities is protecting the integrity of Florida’s elections, which is why joining ERIC is the right thing to do for our state as it will ensure our voter rolls are up-to-date and it will increase voter participation in our elections,” said Governor DeSantis. “Since taking office, we have been reviewing this issue with Supervisors of Elections. We are confident that by improving the accuracy of our voter rolls, we will reduce the potential for voter fraud.”

DeSantis was joined at the podium by Anderson and several other supervisors, including Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee.
“I want to thank Governor DeSantis for his support of Florida joining ERIC,” Lee said. “From election security to voter registration, Governor DeSantis has taken action to put Florida in the best posture possible for safe and secure elections with accurate voter registration rolls and minimal voter fraud.”

Today’s announcement follows Governor DeSantis’ directive to initiate a review of elections systems security and cybersecurity throughout the state in order to ensure Florida’s elections infrastructure at the state and local level is protected. The DOS and Florida’s 67 County Supervisors of Elections are also engaged in a cooperative cybersecurity initiative ahead of the 2020 election.

For more information: Alan Byrd, 407-415-8470 or [email protected]

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About Chris Anderson, Supervisor of Elections : Chris Anderson was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in January 2019. In this role, Anderson oversees all elections in Seminole County and all voter registrations. Currently, there are more than 300,000 registered voters in Seminole County. Prior to serving in this role, Anderson worked as Chief Investigative Officer for the Seminole County Tax Collector and as a deputy sheriff for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. For more information, please visit VoteSeminole.org .

Read the press release (PDF)