Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office Nationally Recognized for Innovations in Elections

Sanford, FL : The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office recently received national recognition from the United States Elections Assistance Commission for the innovative development of the “Seminole Safety Stylus” during the 2020 election cycle. The genesis for this creative solution was the need to protect access to in-person voting by eliminating the risky COVID-19 exposure to voters sharing the same stylus while signing in on the VotePass units. The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office estimated the purchase price of disposable stylus pens for all Seminole County voters would cost upward of $250,000, making that solution cost prohibitive.

“My goal was not to further burden taxpayers with the additional cost of Covid-19 adjustments for the elections, and we succeeded,” said Seminole County Supervisor of Elections, Chris Anderson. “Tapping into the creative minds of our leadership team, a solution to the stylus challenge quickly became apparent.”

The Seminole County elections team found that aluminum foil tape wrapped around the stem of a cotton swab with the cotton tip dampened with water was sufficient to interact with the capacitive touch screens of the VotePass iPads, allowing for a perfect signature. After testing the concept, most discount stores within Seminole County were scoured to purchase as many cotton swabs as possible.

The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office handcrafted styli which protected approximately 335,000 voters between the August Primary Election and the General Election of 2020. Voters responded overwhelmingly well to the Seminole Safety Stylus and the E.A.C. recognized the ingenuity and overall work ethic of the team members of the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office. Ultimately, the efforts of the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office contributed to the safe and successful operation of in-person voting in a cost effective and efficient manner.

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