Election Security

Verification

To be eligible to vote in Florida, you must first be registered. To register, you must submit a voter registration application that contains your Florida Driver License, identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Voter registration applications are processed through the Department of State to verify the applicant’s eligibility and identity.

List Maintenance

Florida Supervisors of Elections conduct regular list maintenance programs to ensure accurate voter registration rolls. We receive frequent notifications from the United States Postal Service (USPS), Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), Florida Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Statistics, and other governmental agencies to maintain current records and remove ineligible voters from the rolls.

The system used in St. Johns County to create and tabulate ballots is housed in a secure room inside the Supervisor of Elections office. The area is under video surveillance and once coding of an election begins, access is managed by senior management and controlled by use of a card access system. 

Once an election is created, the programming is fully tested on every device that will be utilized in the election. This test is extensive and precise to ensure every ballot type is recorded accurately. That is followed by a Logic and Accuracy test which is open to the public and conducted per Section 101.5612, Florida Statutes. After all equipment is tested, it is closed up and sealed using numbered seals, these seals are verified throughout the lifecycle of the election. Like all counties in Florida, St. Johns County Elections Management System (EMS) is paper-based which provides for 100% auditability, if needed. 

At the end of every election, an audit is conducted in accordance with Section 101.591, Florida Statutes, and all ballots are then required to be stored for 22 months after every election. The EMS is fully isolated and never connected to our internal network or the internet.

The integrity and security of the tabulation and main office network is managed internally utilizing a multitiered system. Working with our Federal and State partners, we upgrade our software regularly to ensure the accuracy and integrity of our elections system. The EMS and main network are dissimilar and never converge at any level. Election databases are backed up in stages during an election and the voter registration database is backed up daily as a component of our recovery process. Access to the voter registration system, as well as the EMS, is user/permission based. User level access to the EMS server and workstations is managed by senior management and in all cases password complexity requirements must be met. Network security, and physical access protocols, and best practices are based in part on recommendations from our partners at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Center for Internet Security (CIS). Utilizing partner services, our public network is scanned continuously for network vulnerabilities, and we have deployed an Albert server which continually monitors our network for abnormal activity. In addition, we utilize strict chain of custody procedures to ensure the security of all election materials and election related hardware. Physical security is obtained using a variety of electronic measures 24 hours a day.

1. Our state certified voting equipment is tested before each election with a public Logic & Accuracy test to verify the tabulators are counting votes accurately!

2. The ballots and voting equipment are stored in a secure area in the Elections Office with restricted key card access. Only authorized personnel are permitted to enter the area. During voting, our tabulators are kept in plain sight, secured with seals to prohibit tampering.

3. A stand-alone server, not connected to the internet, is used to program the election and tabulate the results!

4. A separate communication server on a private network, not connected to the internet, receives encrypted electronic election results from each precinct on election night when the polls close.

5. Electronic results from each tabulator are backed up by paper results tapes that are posted on the doors of each polling place election night and an additional tape is brought to the Elections Office.

6. An audit is performed on the paper results tape and electronic results received from each precinct to ensure all voted ballots are accounted for and all results have been recorded correctly!

7. Starting in 2024, election results will be 100% verified after each election utilizing our new Clear Ballot Auditing System.

8. Paper ballots are retained for 22 months and can be re-tabulated if there is ever a question about results within the 10-day contest of election period.

Elections are conducted on a local level in all 67 counties in Florida. Safeguards are established in law. Elections office staff and poll workers belong to different political parties and have diverse backgrounds. It would be impossible to engineer this complex system to benefit a specific candidate or party. 

Sadly, there is an unwarranted sense of fear among some of our citizens— that is as dangerous to our democracy as a compromised election! I have total confidence in our voting system and our processes, and you can too. Our elections are safe and secure!