Tampa Republic

Washington, D.C. – Last week, Congresswoman Laurel Lee, Chair of the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Elections, hosted a military voting roundtable at MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in Tampa, and a roundtable on disaster recovery and elections in Jacksonville, Florida.

The roundtable at MacDill AFB focused on the current state of voting access for military service members and their spouses and dependents. Roundtable attendees included Florida Supervisors of Elections, officials from MacDill, current and retired service members, and representatives from various service organizations.

"Our Committee, in cooperation with state and local election officials, is studying what reforms must still be implemented to ensure every eligible service member and military dependent voter is confident they will be able to receive and cast a ballot, and for that ballot to be received in time to count," said Chair Laurel Lee. 

In Jacksonville, Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) and Executive Director of the  Florida Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, joined Chair Lee for a roundtable discussion on disaster recovery and elections with election administrators and state and local emergency management officials.

"I'm grateful for Director Guthrie and our Supervisors of Elections for their leadership during disaster relief situations and their constant service to Floridians," said Chair Lee. "Supervisors of Elections play a vital role in preparing for natural disasters and ensuring eligible voters have the ability to cast their vote during emergency situations."

“We have a responsibility to ensure voters trust our electoral systems and results, particularly when a natural or manmade disaster strikes," said Congressman Bean. "That is why Florida created an emergency contingency plan for administrating elections that clearly lays out what to do in the event of a disaster. I applaud Chair Laurel Lee for hosting this roundtable discussion at a time when election integrity has been top of mind and for highlighting Florida’s Election Emergency statute as a model for the rest of the nation to follow.” 

Roundtable attendees included:

MacDill AFB:

Craig Lattimer, Hillsborough County, Supervisor of Election
Leah Valenti, Charlotte County, Supervisor of Election
Ron Turner, Sarasota County, Supervisor of Election

Jacksonville:

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management
Ron Turner, Sarasota County, Supervisor of Elections
Mark Earley, Leon County Supervisor of Elections
Wesley Wilcox, Marion County Supervisor of Elections
Starley Ard Cetina, Public Relations Coordinator for the Marion County Supervisor of Elections
Paula Brittain, Assistant Supervisor of Elections, Baker County
Christopher Channell, Director of Elections and Registration, Glynn County, GA 

Original source can be found here.