Observers | Michael Thompson |
Date of interview | 08/10/2022 |
Time and date of initial call and email: | 06/22/2022 |
Time and date of response: | 06/30/2022 |
Did the registrar refuse to meet you: | No |
If yes, please provide the reason given for not meeting: | |
Survey Answers |
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1. What is your biggest concern about the upcoming election? | Doesn't really have a big concern. Feels good about upcoming election.
110 F/T employees. 1,800 Temp workers. 6,000 Poll Watchers |
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2. Any other major concerns? | Not "major", but did reference Redistricting + workforce challenges, but stated her office is allowed to use County employees as Poll Workers + those County employees receive extra $ |
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3. Do you feel like you have the resources, equipment, personnel, and training needed to run an effective election in November? | Yes |
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3a. Any additional information? | |
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3b. If no, what is missing? | |
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4. When was the last time the voter file in your county was scrubbed or cleaned? | 7/31/22 |
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5. When was the last time you had access to the National Change of Address List or any other change of address list? | Q4 of 2021 |
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5a. Any other information? | |
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6a. Are you confident that the voter file is accurate and up to date? | Yes |
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6b. If no, what is/are your main concern(s) about the list? | |
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7a. Have you had private third-party individuals or groups conducting voter registration qtivities in this county? | Yes |
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7b. If yes, can you tell me which groups conducted these activities | Political Party, Women League of Voters, many others available via Public Records |
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7c. If yes, are you confident these registration activities take place without bribery, intimidation or coercion, and that only qualified voters are registered through these third-parties? | Do not know |
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7d. Any other information? | |
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8. Can you explain how your office manages voting in nursing homes? | SoE directly engages w/ Nursing Home facilities, total voluntary, get list of voters, pulls ballot, sends staff to conduct the voting, staff brings back ballots to main office. * Does not directly engage w/ Jails Detention Centers * unless a prisoner requests a VBM (vote by mail) ballot. |
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9a. How is the voting system used in your county certified? | |
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9b. Who certified it last and when? | |
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10. Who updates and calibrates the voting machines? | IT Dept does updates w/ vendor Rep present. ES+S |
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11. Can you explain how they update and calibrate the voting machines? | |
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12a. Are you present when the machines are updated and calibrated, or is that process supervised by someone else? If some else, what is their position? | I am present |
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12b. Another person supervises this process (insert title and position) | or staff. IT Dept updates machines + ES+S Vendor is there to help assist, if needed. |
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13. Do you invite party representatives to witness the update and calibration? | No |
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14a.Are voting machines ever connected to the internet | No |
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14b. If yes, when and why are they connected? | |
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14c. If they are not connected to the internet, how, when and by whom are they updated? | |
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15a. Concerns were raised across the country about the accuracy and integrity of voting machines in the 2020 elections, and there are now calls to get rid of the machines, and use a manual process like that used in France. Do you think it is a good idea to go back to a manual voting process? | No |
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15b. If no, why? | Accuracy + speed of results |
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16. Can you tell us what it costs per voter to implement an election in this country? | Did not give cost. Stated question is hard to answer as does she factor in workers salaries, maintenance, storage, paper, electricity? * Good point - MT |
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17a. How many (%) extra ballots are available in each precinct? | 65% of total precinct voters |
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17b. Can you describe the process used to track and account for these excess ballots? | Barcodes, Seals, Counting |
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18a. We know that in some areas, machines had difficulty reading many mail-in ballots, and those had to be sent for manual adjudication. Can you describe briefly how ballots are adjudicated here? | Multiple observers oversee. I from each Party + both must agree on voters intent to vote for. Then copied to a new ballot + stapled w/original ballot. |
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18b. About what percentage of absentee ballots required adjudication in this county/city during the 2020 election? | <1% less than 1% +/-.
Pollwatchers were present during the copying process |
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19. Have the machines you use for counting ever reported fractional results? | ..select.. |
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19b. Any additional information? | |
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20a. As an election professional, do you think the changes made in the election process in Florida in response to COVID have weakened election integrity, strengthened election integrity, or made no change in election integrity? | Made no change |
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20b. Any additional information? | |
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21a. Did you receive any funding or in-kind contributions for training, staff, voter education or equipment, or any other purpose from outside the state of Florida? | ..select.. |
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21b. If yes, what was the funding or contribution used for? | |
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21c. Will not receiving such funding in the future affect your ability to implement a fully free and fair election? | ..select.. |
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21d. If yes, in what way? | |
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22. Have your local party chairs been notified that they are entitled to send observers to your office each day it is open and receiving in-person absentee ballots? | Yes |
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22a. Any additional information? | |
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23a. Did you have both Republican and Democrat pollwatchers at every polling location in 2020? | Do not know |
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23b. If no, please estimate the perentage of polling locations covered by each party: | Not sure of exact percent but stated both parties had a high % covered. |
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24a. Do you have a publication that you provide to your election officials regarding rights and responsibilities of pollwatchers? | Yes |
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Any additional information? | |
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24b. If no, would you be willing to distribute such a publication that we would prepare based on Florida law? | ..select.. |
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25a. If the Legislature through the Department of State allowed independent non-partisan observers, would you welcome that? | Yes |
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25b. Any additional information? | |
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26. Post survey question � Please characterize your interaction with the Supervisor of Elections as | Helpful Polite. Very professional, engaging, knowledgeable, open-minded. |