Duval elections office reports outreach gains, details petition costs and reviews commercial voter-roll tool

Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland told the Elections Advisory Panel on a September meeting date that his office has used an unexpected election “off year” to expand outreach, to tighten internal procedures and to prepare for the 2026 election calendar.

Holland said the office’s education and outreach division — led by Jennifer Casey, director of education and community outreach — has hosted “113 events so far,” including naturalization ceremonies, high‑school registration drives and demonstrations of accessible voting equipment. Justin Giacalone, an elections staff member, gave party and registration totals and outlined recent list‑maintenance work.

The outreach push, Holland and Casey said, included registering thousands of new voters at community events and schools, recruiting and training poll workers, producing flyers and accessibility materials, and instituting written standard operating procedures for office functions that previously existed mainly in staff knowledge. The office also plans to create a Duval County Elections Museum next spring to broaden public education.

Why it matters: The office says the expanded outreach and new internal controls are designed to improve voter access and strengthen public trust before the August 2026 gubernatorial/primary cycle. Panel members pressed staff for details about list maintenance, new state requirements for initiative petitions and whether commercial data tools should be used to flag potential ineligible registrations.

Outreach, recruitment and training

Casey said her team has staged 113 events this year, has led 10 tours of the election center, performed nine naturalization ceremonies, and registered students and seniors at schools, assisted‑living facilities and senior centers. She said the office collected a total of 2,471 voter‑registration applications at events this year, of which 2,301…