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Recommendations for Increased Accessibility& Efficiency in Florida Elections Florida Department of State commissions have the responsibility to provide the appropriate support to meet these needs. Overall, supervisors of elections were very successful in the administration of the 2012 General Election. However, some counties failed to prepare effectively and it reflected poorly on the entire state. The use of outdated voting equipment created issues during the 2012 General Election. Upgraded equipment could have prevented issues in some counties such as memory card failures. Additionally, some Florida counties continue to operate without utilizing technological advances, such as electronic poll books, which can shorten the time it takes to do voter intake and minimize the possibility of dual voting fraud. In addition to technological shortcomings in some counties, supervisors of elections who delayed the realignment of precincts until after the election required some voters in the same precinct to have different ballot styles, which created additional time consuming quality assurance steps, which further impacted the voting time for voters in large precincts and those with the heaviest turnout. Delays at the polling place were also caused by supervisors of elections who used fixed formulas to distribute vote scanners to precincts based on the number of registered voters rather than based on turnout. Priority Recommendations 1. Extend the Early Voting Schedule �.r. Amend § 101.657(l)(d), Fla. Stat., to require supervisors of elections to offer at least eight consecutive days of early voting with the flexibility to extend up to 14 consecutive days of early voting, ending on either the Saturday or Sunday immediately prior to Election Day. Current Law: Early voting begins on the 10th day before an election and ends on the 3rd day(Saturday) before the election. 2. Expand the Definition of an Early Voting Site Amend § 101.657(1)(a), Fla. Stat., to expand the allowable locations of early voting sites at government owned, managed or occupied facilities to include the main or branch office of a supervisor of elections, a city hall, courthouse, county commission building, public library, civic center, convention center, fairgrounds or stadium, which will benefit voters by increasing the size of early voting locations and improve their indoor occupancy and outdoor parking availability. Current Law: Early voting locations are limited to the main or branch office of the supervisor. However, for a branch office to be used for early voting, it must be a permanent facility of the supervisor and .,, been designated and used as such for at least one year prior to the election. The supervisor may Q3- F - 7