FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kimberly Boelzner / 321-474-3886 / kboelzner@VoteBrevard.gov
Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Office Wins U.S. Election
Assistance Commission’s Clearinghouse Award
One of 24 Programs Honored by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for Innovation, Sustainability, and Replicability
U.S. Election Assistance Commission members present Supervisor Tim Bobanic with the Clearinghouse Award for excellence in election administration. Brevard County Supervisor of Elections was awarded a Clearie Award for their SigView program in the Outstanding Innovations in Elections category. Left to right: Commissioner Donald Palmer, Supervisor Tim Bobanic, Commissioner Christy McCormick.
Melbourne, FL – May 23, 2023 – The Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Office was one of 24 Election Offices in the nation to be recognized by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for excellence in election administration. The Clearinghouse Award, also known as the “Clearies”, are given in seven categories and Brevard won in the “Outstanding Innovations in Elections” for the SigView program used during the 2022 election cycle.
“The spotlight on U.S. elections has never been brighter, and the EAC is pleased to honor the work of these offices to make elections more secure, technologically advanced, and accessible to voters,” said EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick, Vice Chair Ben Hovland, Commissioner Donald Palmer, and Commissioner Thomas Hicks in a joint statement. “Especially as election administrators prepare for the 2024 presidential election, we encourage them to review the great work of these Clearie Award-winning jurisdictions for ideas they may want to replicate in their communities.”
The SigView program was judged along with other submissions from around the country that had programs using creative tools to improve election administration, while advancing new and innovative concepts. The submissions were judged by election officials from around the nation, based on six criteria: innovation, sustainability, outreach efforts, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and generating positive results.
“After the Florida Legislature passed legislation requiring Supervisors of Elections to allow authorized observers to view mail ballot envelopes and corresponding voter signatures, my team researched the best ways to implement the law to provide reasonable access to authorized observers of the materials,” stated Supervisor Tim Bobanic. “This is the seventh year the Clearie Awards have taken place, and the second time Brevard County has been recognized.”
The SigView program, developed by the Supervisor of Elections IT team, is an in-house application showing the mail ballot certificate envelope and signature on file, side by side. The application also indicates if the ballot was accepted or referred to the Canvassing Board. In order for the observers to utilize the program, they were able to sign up for 45-minute time slots at any of the four election administrative offices on a daily basis. Each office had a dedicated workstation with a computer in the office lobby that was locked down to only allow them access to the SigView program.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized for our hard work to not only implement the new law, but to provide such transparency to the voters of Brevard County,” shared Supervisor Bobanic.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission members present Supervisor Tim Bobanic and his team with the Clearinghouse Award for excellence in election administration.
For additional information, please contact Kimberly Boelzner, Communications Director, at kboelzner@VoteBrevard.gov or 321-637-5316.
About Brevard County Supervisor of Elections
The Brevard County Supervisor of Elections office is committed to providing exemplary public service to the citizens of Brevard County. It is our intent to provide quality election services to include transparent, yet secure, elections with timely and accurate results. For more information visit VoteBrevard.gov.