How Sarasota’s Supervisor of Elections Team is Bringing Trust to the Process

I had the ultimate pleasure of sitting down with Ron Turner, Sarasota County’s Supervisor of Elections (SOE), for an important elections-focused podcast episode of Civic Sparks. The conversation was very informative and acknowledged what it takes to orchestrate a secure election process. When asked about how it all works, the Supervisor shared that the only other teams that may understand the massive amount of orchestration required are supermarkets the day before Thanksgiving––maybe.

​Mr. Turner was a wealth of information, helping break down the processes of elections and highlighting the efforts of his team to create a trusting community. It’s evident that the election process takes trust. Like we say at The Patterson Foundation, change happens at the speed of trust, and Mr. Turner has clearly established trust in Sarasota voters. Through his vision to honor the need for accessibility and his goal to engage all eligible voters, the SOE has opened multiple locations that stretch to all edges of Sarasota County. He’s made his team accessible, and they’ve gone above and beyond to help voters know that they are standing by to answer questions, solve challenges, and remove barriers.

​Voter turnout in our last several elections have reached the highest numbers of any county our size in Florida. Those numbers demonstrate that Mr. Turner's efforts and those of his team have truly paid off. I hope you’ll take a moment to listen to the podcast for an opportunity to learn something new, affirm what you already know, and rest assured that our Sarasota County election processes are being held to the highest standards.

​Watch below or listen to the podcast here.