August, 2018 update: We have received no evidence of any infiltration into the Seminole County system. 

In response to reports of attempted Russian "hacking" into Florida voter data, Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel has posted the information below, as well as penned a column for The Orlando Sentinel (click for column).

Debunk the Bunk (long, but important epilogue): You will be reading news reports today of a purported attempt to access Florida voter registration records by the Russian military. A couple of core facts about this story:

1) Florida voter registrations are public records. Anyone can get them by simply asking their local elections office.

2) The data and physical security measures our office employs for our technology infrastructure are top-notch. We have dug a cyber moat around the data so we can ensure access of sensitive information and systems by only those granted access.

3) We were aware of the cited phishing email the very moment it happened and took measures to ensure we were not impacted.

4) Like everyone who uses email, we are subject to dozens of phishing email scams daily -- we're sophisticated enough to catch them.

5) Important: Even if the bad guys would have accessed our local registration files (which they didn't), those files are in no way connected to vote counting.

6) I've said it hundreds of times, "you can't hack paper." Seminole County votes on trusted paper ballots.

7) In summation: Our election was not hacked by Russians. This whole exercise, however, does highlight two vital tenets of our republic: Elections are best run in our decentralized manner, allowing a greater obstacle for shenanigans; and competent, savvy, independent and principled elections administrators are looking out for you.

8) Like I always close... if anyone is trying to scare you into thinking your legitimate vote won't (or didn't) count, contact your local elections administrator.

The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office closed out 2017 by announcing it was the recipient of two major awards: an international award for reaching out to first-time voters, and a national award for the design and functionality of VoteSeminole.org.

At the 2017 International Electoral Awards ceremony held in Amman, Jordan, the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office edged international finalists from the United Kingdom and Romania with its #FutureVoter initiative.  According to the presenting body, The International Centre for Parliamentary Studies, "the First Time Voters Award will recognise Electoral Management Bodies or Electoral Management Officials which have taken outstanding measures to facilitate, optimise, and/or help the electoral experience of first time voters, realising the importance of the first electoral experience of a voter and the unique challenges that it raises."  

Among all categories, Seminole County joined only Los Angeles County, California as top awardees on this international stage.   Seminole County has twice been recognized by this international elections body, having first received an award in 2013 for voter outreach. 

The office website VoteSeminole.org was also recently a recipient of the Golden Web Award by the International Association of Web Masters and Designers.  According to IAWMD, "the Golden Web Awards is a service of the IAWMD and is presented to those sites whose web design, originality and content have achieved levels of excellence deserving of recognition."  Earlier in the year, the building and creation of Voteseminole.org was a feature of the national ElectionLine.org newsletter, http://electionline.org/index.php/2017/2157-electionlineweekly-march-30-2017. Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel says, "These awards are more than simply lucite on our desks, but a reflection of the hard work, professionalism and dedication of our entire team of professionals here in Seminole County.  We are known throughout the elections industry as America's Finest Elections Team, and these accolades, while a great way to close out 2017, are merely motivation for us to prove our mettle in 2018 to the most important judges of our work, the voters of Seminole County." 

Details about the International Electoral Awards can be found here: http://awards.electoralnetwork.org/finalists-2017.php; and the Golden Web Awards can be found here: https://goldenwebawards.com/about/

If we measure it, we can improve it. The #VoteSeminole comment card is more than just a feedback tool -- it's an agent for improvement. 

Beyond a greater than 99 percent positive rating for America's Finest Elections Team, 2016's election also saw great improvements in the number of tracked criteria. For instance, we increased the number of voters who found the experience "fast," "efficient," "organized," and "professional." 

Voters rated their experience as:

Excellent -- 2,541  96.32%

Good -- 73  2.77%

Fair -- 18  0.68%

Poor -- 6  0.23%

The top ten words voters wrote in their comments were:

1 -- "Friendly"  489

2 -- "Helpful"  311

3 -- "Fast"  244

4 -- "Efficient"  204

5 -- "Easy"  198

6 -- "Quick"  189

7 --"Organized"  156

8 -- "Pleasant"  129

9 -- "Nice"  128

10 -- "Professional"  108

Seminole County Launches www.OfficialElectionMail.org

In the wake of yet another confusing mailing from out-of-town interests to Seminole County homes in 2016, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel set up a special website to help voters delineate legitimate mailings from others.

The website www.OfficialElectionMail.org leads voters to the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections website, www.VoteSeminole.org, where a link will display recent and upcoming mailings which emanate from the Seminole County elections office.  The website received international attention: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3518972/Dead-cat-voting-Flier-leads-confusion-Florida.html

The action stems from another mailing from the Washington D.C.-based political organization.  Ertel was sent a tweet about the mailer from a voter who stated the political entity tried to register her dead cat to vote. “While some may chuckle at the thought of a dead cat being offered the opportunity to register to vote, this is a serious matter, as it causes many voters to believe our office would send this, as the mailer had the words ‘Government document enclosed.  Do not discard.’ on it,” says Ertel.

Ertel says he hopes the new website will help ease confusion, “Because we are the swing region in the largest swing state in the country, the I-4 corridor and Central Florida is the epicenter of national elections.  As the highest voter turnout county which I-4 runs through, it is incumbent on us to ensure our voters have faith in the process.  Misleading mailers from out-of-state interests drives a dagger into the heart of our voters’ confidence in the process.  It’s my  job to ensure my county voters know which mail is official – they’re then smart enough to determine the motives of any other mailers on their own.”  

Voters who have received the confusing mailer and would like to contact the legal counsel for the political group which distributed it can reach them at: Jennifer Carrier, JCarrier@BlankRome.com or Scott Thomas, SThomas@BlankRome.com.