Meet Your Supervisor
Your Supervisor of Elections
Hello, I’m Michelle Milligan, your Supervisor of Elections. With over 30 years of experience in state government, I am dedicated to ensuring our elections are fair, secure, transparent, and efficient. I began my public service career 31 years ago with the state of Florida and the Florida Senate, where I excelled in supervising teams and managing projects to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness. My extensive background in legislative processes and administrative management equips me with the knowledge and leadership skills essential for this role.
Beyond my professional duties, I enjoy singing with my band and spending time with my husband, grown children, and grandchildren. I am also a proud member of the Monticello Rotary Club and the Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Having been a resident of Jefferson County for 18 years, I am committed to serving our community with integrity and dedication.
Responsibilities of a Supervisor
Florida Statutes mandates the duties and responsibilities of the Supervisor of Elections. As an elected Florida constitutional officer, the Jefferson County Supervisor of Elections must follow all state and federal election laws. The Supervisor of Elections office is responsible for much more than the actual election day logistics and management.
To keep you informed, below is a list of a few of those duties:
- Administering voter registration activities throughout the county in accordance with Florida election laws
- Processing all registration applications from qualified Florida residents
- Issuing voter information cards
- Maintaining accurate voter registration statistics
- Performing periodic list maintenance to ensure accurate and current voter registration records
- Maintaining the precinct street index to ensure residential addresses are assigned to the correct precinct and voting group
- Updating street index, as necessary, with zip code and address changes based on information received from the post office, planning board, and city and county commissions
- Adding to the index new streets created by growth, and assigning them to precincts and voting groups
- Maintaining and safeguarding county voting equipment
- Testing voting equipment and programs, and ballot tabulation equipment prior to each election
- Designing, printing, and proofing ballots pursuant to Florida election law
- Processing requests for and mailing absentee ballots and related election materials to absentee voters, including military and overseas voters
- Receiving and tallying absentee ballots
- Verifying signatures on absentee ballots
- Verifying signatures on initiative petitions and certifying results to the state (DOE)
- Working with the county and municipalities on reapportionment, redistricting, and drawing precinct boundaries
- Identifying and contracting with convenient and accessible polling places
- Conducting early voting at designated sites
- Conducting supervised absentee voting for assisted living facilities or nursing homes upon request
- Posting required notices in all polling places on election day, including instructions on how to cast a ballot
- Delivering, setting up, and retrieving voting equipment for each polling location
- Providing equipment, registration books, and all supplies and signage to each polling location on Election Day
- Approving poll watchers and providing lists of designated poll watchers to polling places
- Counting, canvassing, and certifying election returns
- Notifying voters who cast provisional ballots if their ballots are rejected, and the reason for rejection
- Recruiting and training poll workers in election law and procedures prior to each election
- Appointing clerks and additional workers as necessary for all polling locations
- Publishing a uniform polling place procedures manual, which is provided to every worker and every polling place
- Administration of voter registration lists
- List maintenance (as mandated by state and federal laws)
- Public record requests(with restrictions as outlined in Florida Statutes)
- Storage and maintenance of records
- Archive, retention, and destruction of records
- Conducting nonpartisan education programs to ensure voters have knowledge of voting equipment and election procedures
- Publishing various information and voter guides to keep the public informed about election news and the law
- Maintaining a website to provide candidates, voters, and the general public with important information and news
- Distributing news releases to local news organizations to keep the public informed of election news
- Receiving and responding to individual queries from the public in person and/or via letter, phone, and email
- Reporting annually to the state, a detailed description of county voter education programs
- Receiving and responding to public records requests
- Providing prospective candidates with general information and guidance
- Filing and Qualifying candidates for nomination or election to county, district, and special district offices
- Verifying and certifying petition signatures for candidates who qualify by the petition process
- Collecting candidate qualifying fees and remitting to the appropriate agency
- Performing or assisting with elections to municipalities, districts, and special districts inthe conduct of their elections
- Receiving and reviewing for completion campaign finance reports and financial disclosure statements
- Monitoring campaign reports and assessing fines when necessary
- Providing filing forms and guidance to and receiving and reviewing for completion financial reports from political committees
- Receiving, reviewing for completion, and maintaining financial reports from political parties
- Receiving annual Form 1 Financial Disclosures from certain officers and employees of local government and reporting to the State
- Lay-out and programming of voting equipment
- Repair and maintenance of all election equipment
- Providing adequate polling sites
- Providing statistical information on voters, voting rights, and responsibilities, and all areas pertaining to elections