Brevard Supervisor of Elections receives national award for elections innovations in 2022

Eric Rogers, Florida Today
·1 min read

The Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Office was honored last week by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for its development of a new application allowing voters to view mail ballot envelopes and signatures.

The "SigView" system, developed for the 2022 election cycle by the office's in-house information technology team, allows users to view ballot envelope signatures and compare them side-by-side with signatures on file with the supervisor's office.

It also notes whether the ballot was accepted or referred to the canvassing board for further review.

For the new system, the office was one of 10 across the nation recognized for "Outstanding Innovations in Elections" in the commission's annual Clearinghouse Awards for Excellence in Elections Administration.

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“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,” commission leadership said in a joint statement.

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.

Brevard Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said in a statement the system was developed in response to a new Florida law requiring elections officials to make ballot signatures accessible to authorized ballot observers.

“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,” Bobanic said in the statement.

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Only 24 elections offices nationwide received a "Clearie" across seven categories for last year's election cycle. It is the second time Brevard has won the award since they were introduced by the commission in 2016, Bobanic said.

Eric Rogers is a watchdog reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Rogers at 321-242-3717 or esrogers@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard Supervisor of Elections wins 'Clearie' for 2022 mail ballot app