SEMINOLE COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION WITH NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE AWARD

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL – Today, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson announced his office was recognized for excellence in election administration with a national Clearinghouse Award for Outstanding Election Official State Association Program or Local Office! Also known as the “Clearies,” the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) presents the awards program annually to celebrate the hard work of election offices across the country. Now in its seventh year, this year’s Clearie Awards honored programs that took place during the 2022 midterms.

Kyndle Cobb, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Public Information Officer’s Informing Voters with Facebook Voting Alerts program was one of 24 programs that were recognized with a Clearie Award. As a member of the Florida Supervisors of Elections Public Relations Committee, Cobb spearheaded an initiative that worked with other counties and coordinated with META, Facebook’s parent company, to provide resources that would become available to all 67 Supervisor of Elections offices, benefiting over 14 million voters. Facebook Voting Alerts allowed for SOEs across the state to immediately provide accurate and trusted information to all Facebook users in their county at no cost. Seminole County especially utilized this tool to recruit election workers, inform voters about election dates and times, and important deadlines relating to vote-by-mail.

“After the 2020 elections, our office was awarded a Clearies Honorable Mention award for our Chief Operations Officer, Helen Ehrgott Trovato’s innovative solution of wrapping foil tape around a cotton swab to provide voters with a single-use stylus in order to sign their name while checking in to vote in the midst of a global pandemic,” Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson said. “To be recognized yet again by the EAC, this time as a categorical recipient for the first time, shows just how dedicated and committed this office is to serving the voters of Seminole County, and proves once more how Seminole County is the gold standard for elections administration.”

The Clearies play an essential role in fulfilling the EAC’s mission to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information under the Help America Vote Act. The EAC is an independent, bipartisan federal agency solely focused on election administration. Submissions were judged on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and the generation of positive results. This year’s awards categories include:

• Outstanding Use of HAVA Grants in Elections Modernization

• Outstanding Election Official State Association Program or Local Office

• Outstanding Innovation in Election Cybersecurity and Technology

• Improving Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities

• Outstanding Innovations in Elections – Large Jurisdictions

• Outstanding Innovations in Elections – Small/Medium Jurisdictions

• Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Training Poll Workers

• Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers

“The spotlight on U.S. elections has never been brighter, and the EAC is pleased to honor the work of these offices to make elections more secure, technologically advanced, and accessible to voters,” said EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick, Vice Chair Ben Hovland, Commissioner Donald Palmer, and Commissioner Thomas Hicks in a joint statement. “Especially as election administrators prepare for the 2024 presidential election, we encourage them to review the great work of these Clearie Award-winning jurisdictions for ideas they may want to replicate in their communities.”

More information on the Clearies and each awardee is available on eac.gov.

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