Overview

Supervisor of Elections is a constitutional office of Florida at the county level. Fla. Const. Art. VIII, § 1(d). Their role is critical — without them, elections couldn’t happen at the county level.

Election-Related Duties

The key duties of the Supervisor of Elections are:

1. Serving as a member of the County Canvassing Board when not running for re-election with opposition (when there is opposition, the Supervisor only serves “in an advisory capacity” to the County Canvassing Board). Fla. Stat. § 102.141(1)(b).
2. Updating and maintaining voter registrations within their county, providing related training on voter registration practices. See Fla. Stat §§ 98.015(3), (9), (10).
3. Hiring and firing as many Deputy Supervisors as is necessary. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(8).
4. Publishing the names of the members of the County Canvassing Board on his or her official website once the logic and accuracy test has been completed. Fla. Stat. § 102.141(1).
5. Uploading the results of all early voting and vote-by-mail ballots that have been canvassed and tabulated by the end of the early voting period into the county’s election management system by 7 p.m. on the day before the election. [1] Fla. Stat. § 102.141(4)(a).
6. Notifying the Department of State “of any circumstances that do not permit periodic updates” of precinct results to the Department of State. Fla. Stat. § 102.141(2)(b).
7. Transmitting a list of the names of all county and district officers elected to the Department of State, immediately after the county canvass. Fla. Stat. § 102.151.
8. Providing a certificate to every candidate certified by the County Canvassing Board as having won their election. Fla. Stat. § 102.155.
9. Filing post-canvassing reports to the Department of State within 10 business days of the Elections Canvassing Commission certifying the results of an election. Fla. Stat. § 98.0981(1)(a), (1)(b), (3)(a), (5).
10. Filing a report with the Division of Elections “on the conduct of the election” within 20 business days of the Elections Canvassing Commission certifying the election. Fla. Stat. § 102.141(10)(a).

Selection and Vacancy Information

• Elected: Supervisors of Elections are elected by their respective county every four years, coinciding with the presidential election. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1); see also Fla. Const. Art. VIII, § 1(d).
• Term of Office: The term of office for Supervisors of Elections in Florida is four years. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1). New terms begin on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the January that follows the election. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1). The next term will begin on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
• Next Election: The next election for Supervisors of Elections will take place at the general election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1).
• Vacancy: **The Governor appoints an individual to fill a vacancy in a Supervisor of Elections office. Fla. Const. Art. IV, § 1(f). If there are fewer than 28 months left in the office’s term, the appointee will serve until the end of the original term. Fla. Const. Art. IV, § 1(f). If there are more than 28 months left in the term, a candidate will be elected at the next general election to serve the remainder of the original term. During the time between the vacancy and “the first Tuesday after the first Monday following the next general election,” an appointee of the Governor will fill the vacancy. Fla. Const. Art. IV, § 1(f).