Quarterly Newsletter
January 1 - March 31, 2021
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In odd-numbered years, where there is neither a presidential nor midterm election, our office conducts local and municipal elections. On April 7, we conducted the Town of Reddick General Election, and the official results can be viewed here. Our team is now preparing to conduct the City of Ocala General Election scheduled for September 21.
Off-years also afford us time to perform maintenance and upgrades on our voting equipment, clean and reorganize our workspaces, and make improvements to our operations. Over the past several weeks, we have been working towards migration to a secure virtual infrastructure, streamlining our processes and improving our efficiency. We have also been improving our voter rolls with the data that has been supplied to us by the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
The outcome of Florida's successful 2020 Presidential Election is largely attributed to being the spotlight of the 2000 Presidential Election, and the lessons learned over the p ast 20 years. Despite our success, we recognize that with every election, there are improvements to be made. The Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) Association put forth legislative priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session that we believe are beneficial and constructive to the voting process.
The Florida 2021 Legislature is in session and the two major bills concerning election law changes are SB 90 and HB 7041. The language of the bills continues to be amended as they move through committees, and their actions can be tracked on the Senate and House websites. To advocate for our voters and express our concerns with this proposed legislation, our association released a statement, which can be viewed here.
All the best,
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Wesley Wilcox, CERA
Supervisor of Elections ∙ Marion County, Florida
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Florida Certified Election Professional Program |
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Our team remains committed to professional development and furthering our knowledge in elections, to better serve our voters. Several of our team members recently completed the Florida Certified Election Professionals (FCEP) program and will graduate at the FSE Summer Conference, while others have been newly enrolled and are taking classes.
The nationally-awarded FCEP program, organized by FSE, provides Florida elections officials, their staff, and vendors the opportunity to receive additional election education on topics such as voter registration, media relations, and election workers, to name a few. The FCEP mission is to provide and support continuing education and certification programs that encourage the highest level of professionalism.
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Virtual High School Voter Registration Challenge |
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Our 4th Annual High School Registration Challenge was hosted virtually this year. The challenge took place during March and April, and all of Marion County's public high schools participated.
The annual challenge is aimed at increasing civic participation by registering eligible students, and educating seniors about the importance of voting and the elections process. The winning school is determined by the highest number of voter registrations received compared to the number of seniors enrolled at each school.
This year's challenge resulted in nearly 700 eligible students who registered to vote and were added to Marion County's voter rolls. The winning school will be announced in the coming weeks, and will be recognized at an upcoming school board meeting and presented with a traveling trophy.
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2021 City of Ocala General Election |
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The City of Ocala General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, September 21, 2021. The voter registration deadline is Monday, August 23, 2021. Only voters registered within the City of Ocala limits will be eligible to vote.
Voters have the option to Vote-by-Mail or at their assigned voting location on Election Day between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
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Join us for an Ocala Candidate Workshop! |
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The Marion County Supervisor of Elections is offering an Ocala Candidate Workshop on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. for those interested in running for office or learning about the candidate process.
The workshop will be presented by Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox, CERA, and will cover the fundamentals of the City of Ocala candidate process. Participants will learn about candidate qualifying, campaign finance, reporting requirements, election law, and more.
Candidates, campaign staff, and members of the public are encouraged to attend. The workshop is free but space is limited. Please RSVP to CandidateSchool@VoteMarion.Gov or 352-620-3290. |
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May is Military Appreciation Month, and we want to extend our appreciation and support to all military service members and their families. Officially designated by Congress in 1999, the month-long observance honors the sacrifices of current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Highlighted below are the Heroes recognized on the digital Wall of Honor, which is on display in the Early Voting room at the Marion County Election Center. With grateful hearts, we thank all who have and continue to lay their lives down to protect and defend our country.
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FSE New Supervisors Orientation |
In January, Supervisor Wilcox welcomed new Florida Supervisors of Elections at the FSE Orientation and was the Instructor of the Cyber Security and Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) topics. Congratulations, Supervisors! |
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Supervisor Wilcox Engages Belleview Youth Commission |
On February 25, Supervisor Wilcox had the opportunity to speak to the Belleview Youth Commission on how elections are conducted in Marion County, focusing on the importance of youth voter participation! |
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Parade of Senior Services Voter Drive |
On March 19, our Outreach team provided Voting and Election information to Marion County's senior citizens at the Parade of Senior Services held at the College of Central Florida. |
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Town of Reddick Post-Election Audit |
The Town of Reddick Canvassing Board for the General Election convened at 2 p.m., Monday, April 12, 2021 to conduct the Post-Election Audit for the General Election. The public voting system audit was completed with 100% accuracy, verifying the machine and human count matched exactly.
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Are you connected with us on social media? Be sure to like and follow us to receive frequent updates and accurate information from your trusted source of voting and election information in Marion County. |
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Marion County Supervisor of Elections, 981 NE 16th Street, Ocala FL 34470
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