Seminole County Elections office registers voters with artistic flair

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL: The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office has been active the past two weekends demonstrating voting equipment and registering new voters at a pair of community events.

November 5, the office had a tent located at the Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts, and this past weekend, there was a tent at Oviedo's Great Day in the Country arts and crafts event. For each event, the elections office was granted free space from the organizers, and took full advantage of that opportunity.

Over the two weekends 58 voters were registered in the county: 23 Democrats, 16 Republicans and 19 with no party affiliation. The office also registered four new voters for surrounding counties.

Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel says, “Our county has one of the highest voter registration rates in the region, and our office's efforts to provide opportunities is one of the reasons. It has been a hallmark of this office to ensure elections in Seminole are run efficiently, at or below budget, and beyond reproach with respect to fairness. The comments I've received from a slew of folks at these events and throughout the county reflects that the continued nonpartisan voter outreach we've undertaken has built a renewed trust among the citizenry in our office."

Chief Deputy for Voter Outreach Alex Setzer adds, "The opportunity to demonstrate our voting technologies to current voters and register new voters is both exciting and encouraging. By attending community events and festivals, we are giving residents more and more opportunities to participate in the electoral process.”

This is all part of a larger effort by Ertel to increase opportunities for voter registration in the county. This Summer, his office kicked off its Voter Welcome Wagon, in cooperation with the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando, where 86 or the county’s 112 apartment complexes will include new voter registration applications with all new leasing packages. July also was the kickoff of the First Weekend program, where the office provided materials and voter registration training to participating houses of worship, so they may schedule voter registration drives the first weekend of each month. The office is also continuing its First Voter program, in cooperation with Seminole County schools, registering or pre-registering high school seniors.

To contact the Supervisor of Elections office about conducting a registration drive for your organization, contact Alex Setzer at 407.708.7707.

Media contact Michael Ertel, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections at 407.708.7712 or ertel@VoteSeminole.org.