Florida Statute 98.015 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title IX
ELECTORS AND ELECTIONS

Chapter 98
REGISTRATION OFFICE, OFFICERS, AND PROCEDURES

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98.015 Supervisor of elections; election, tenure of office, compensation, custody of registration-related documents, office hours, successor, seal; appointment of deputy supervisors; duties.—

(1) A supervisor of elections shall be elected in each county at the general election in each year the number of which is a multiple of four for a 4-year term commencing on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January succeeding his or her election. Each supervisor shall, before performing any of his or her duties, take the oath prescribed in s. 5, Art. II of the State Constitution.

(2) The supervisor’s compensation shall be paid by the board of county commissioners.

(3) The supervisor shall update voter registration information, enter new voter registrations into the statewide voter registration system, and act as the official custodian of documents received by the supervisor related to the registration of electors and changes in voter registration status of electors of the supervisor’s county.

(4) At a minimum, the office of the supervisor must be open Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, for a period of not less than 8 hours per day, beginning no later than 9 a.m.

(5) The supervisor shall preserve statements and other information required to be filed with the supervisor’s office pursuant to chapter 106 for a period of 10 years from date of receipt.

(6) The supervisor shall, upon leaving office, deliver to his or her successor immediately all records belonging to the office.

(7) Each supervisor is authorized to obtain for the office an impression seal approved by the department. An impression of the seal with a description thereof shall be filed with the department. The supervisor is empowered to attach an impression of the seal upon official documents and certificates executed over the supervisor’s signature and take oaths and acknowledgments under the supervisor’s seal in matters pertaining to the office. However, said seal need not be affixed to registration certificates.

(8) Each supervisor may select and appoint, subject to removal by the supervisor, as many deputy supervisors as are necessary, whose compensation must be paid by the supervisor and who shall have the same powers and whose acts shall have the same effect as the acts of the supervisor; except that the supervisor shall limit the power to appoint deputy supervisors to designated deputy supervisors. Each deputy supervisor shall, before entering office, take an oath in writing that he or she will faithfully perform the duties of the deputy supervisor’s office, which oath must be acknowledged by the supervisor or a designated deputy supervisor and must be filed in the office of the supervisor.

(9) Each supervisor must make training in the proper implementation of voter registration procedures available to any individual, group, center for independent living, or public library in the supervisor’s county.

(10) Each supervisor shall ensure that all voter registration and list maintenance procedures conducted by such supervisor are in compliance with any applicable requirements prescribed by rule of the department through the statewide voter registration system or prescribed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, or the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

(11) Each supervisor shall ensure that any voter registration system used by the supervisor for administering his or her duties as a voter registration official complies with the specifications and procedures established by rule of the department and the statewide voter registration system.

(12) Each supervisor shall maintain a list of valid residential street addresses for purposes of verifying the legal addresses of voters residing in the supervisor’s county. To the maximum extent practicable, the list shall include information necessary to differentiate one residence from another, including, but not limited to, a distinguishing apartment, suite, lot, room, or dormitory room number or other identifier. If a voter registration application does not include information necessary to differentiate one residence from another, the supervisor shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain such information in order to maintain the list of valid residential street addresses. The supervisor shall make all reasonable efforts to coordinate with county 911 service providers, property appraisers, the United States Postal Service, or other agencies as necessary to ensure the continued accuracy of such list. The supervisor shall provide the list of valid residential addresses to the statewide voter registration system in the manner and frequency specified by rule of the department.

History.—chs. 3700, 3704, 1887; s. 8, ch. 3879, 1889; RS 162; s. 9, ch. 4328, 1895; GS 179, 180; s. 1, ch. 5614, 1907; s. 1, ch. 9271, 1923; RGS 223, 224; CGL 258, 259; ss. 1, 2, ch. 22759, 1945; s. 2, ch. 26870, 1951; s. 10, ch. 65-134; ss. 10, 11, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 33, ch. 69-216; s. 5, ch. 77-175; s. 25, ch. 94-224; s. 1385, ch. 95-147; s. 17, ch. 98-34; s. 2, ch. 98-129; s. 16, ch. 2005-278; s. 4, ch. 2016-23; s. 1, ch. 2021-73; s. 2, ch. 2022-221.

Note.—Former ss. 98.13, 98.14, 98.17; s. 98.161.

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Amendments to 98.015

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 98.015

Total Results: 13 | Sort by: Relevance | Newest First

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Am. Civil Rights Union v. Brenda Snipes, 935 F.3d 1192 (11th Cir. 2019).

Cited 12 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...evel supervisors of elections. See 52 U.S.C. § 20509 (“Each State shall designate a State officer or employee as the chief State election official to be responsible for coordination of State responsibilities under this chapter.”); Fla. Stat. § 98.015 (mandating that “[t]he supervisor of elections ....

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Palm Beach Cnty. Canvassing Bd. v. Harris, 772 So. 2d 1220 (Fla. 2000).

Cited 11 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2000 WL 1725434

...Bush, is the Republican candidate for President of the United States. Robert Crawford, Florida Commissioner or Agriculture, has been appointed to replace Florida Governor Jeb Bush. See § 102.111, Fla. Stat. [18] § 97.012, Fla. Stat. (2000). [19] § 98.015, Fla....

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Siegel v. LePore, 120 F. Supp. 2d 1041 (S.D. Fla. 2000).

Cited 7 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 29 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1190, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16333, 2000 WL 1687185

...While the Secretary of State is the chief election officer of the state, see Fla.Stat. § 97.102(1), the actual conduct of elections occurs in Florida counties. Except for the appointed supervisor in Miami-Dade County, the county supervisor of elections is an elective office, chosen every four years. See Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1). The supervisor employs deputy supervisors. See Fla. Stat. § 98.015(8)....

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Diaz v. Cobb, 541 F. Supp. 2d 1319 (S.D. Fla. 2008).

Cited 6 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 56 A.L.R. 6th 815, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27361, 2008 WL 793584

...In 2004 and 2005, Florida Election Supervisors were responsible for maintaining voter registration books and for ensuring that all voter registration and list maintenance procedures in that County were in compliance with the Voting Rights Act. See Fla. Stat. §§ 97.012(11) and 98.015 (2004) & (2005)....

...istration system, and for ensuring that all voter registration and list maintenance procedures in each County complied with the Voting Rights Act, the NVRA, the Hep America Vote Act of 2002, and the rules issued by the Secretary of State. Fla. Stat. § 98.015 (2006)....

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Bellitto v. Snipes, 221 F. Supp. 3d 1354 (S.D. Fla. 2016).

Cited 4 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 148234, 2016 WL 6248602

...The Court similarly finds that Defendant Snipes has certain obligations under the NVRA. Defendant is the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. In that position, Defendant is designated by Florida law to maintain the voter rolls in Broward County. See Fla Stat. § 98.015(3) (“the supervisor shall update voter registration information”)....

...525(4)-(6) (online applications, regardless of where received, are forwarded and processed by supervisors); 97.071 (voter information cards are provided by the supervisors); 97.1031 (changes of address are received and processed by the supervisors); 98.015 (de *1362 scribing the office and duties of the supervisors, including custody of registration-related documents); 98.035(2) (the statewide system enables the supervisors to “provide, access, and update voter registration information”); 98...

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League of Women Voters of Fla., Inc. v. Detzner, 354 F. Supp. 3d 1280 (N.D. Fla. 2018).

Cited 3 times | Published | District Court, N.D. Florida

...because of these supportive resolutions. Even so, the strong support from local elected officials indicates that the supervisor of elections-who is elected from the same electorate as the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, see Fla. Stat. § 98.015 (a) ("A supervisor of elections shall be elected in each county ...")-could mirror the support of the county's elected leaders....

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Touchston v. Mcdermott, 234 F.3d 1133 (11th Cir. 2000).

Cited 2 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...mber 18 certification. Of these 288 votes, 195 went to Governor Bush, 86 went to Vice President Gore, and 7 went to other candidates. 8 The county supervisor of elections is an elected official with a four-year term, according to statute. Fla. Stat. 98.015(1). Each county supervisor employs deputy supervisors. Fla. Stat. 98.015(8)....

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Orange Cnty., Florida v. Rick Singh, etc., 268 So. 3d 668 (Fla. 2019).

Cited 1 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...lified electors at the general election in each year the number of which is a multiple of 4." See also § 100.031, Fla. Stat. ("A general election shall be held in each county ... to choose a successor to each elective ... county ... officer ...."); § 98.015 (1), Fla....

...The portion of the ordinance that requires elections for county constitutional *675 officers to be held during the primary election conflicts with section 100.041, which requires county constitutional officers to appear on the general election ballot. It also conflicts with section 98.015, Florida Statutes, which separately addresses the election of the supervisor of elections. See § 98.015, Fla....

...Stat. ("In each county, a clerk of the circuit court, sheriff, superintendent of schools, property appraiser, and tax collector shall be chosen by the qualified electors at the general election in each year the number of which is a multiple of 4."); § 98.015(1), Fla....

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Nancy Carola Jacobsen v. Florida Sec'y of State (11th Cir. 2020).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Secretary. Fla. Const. art. VIII, § 1(d); Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1). The Florida Department of State’s organic

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Michael Polelle v. Florida Sec'y of State (11th Cir. 2025).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Argued: Oct 11, 2024

County as prescribed by Florida law. See § 98.015(10)–(11). None of the powers delegated

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Orange Cnty., Florida v. Rick Singh, etc. (Fla. 2019).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...The terms of state offices other than the terms of members of the Legislature shall begin on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January after said election. The term of office of each member of the Legislature shall begin upon election. See also § 98.015(1), Florida Statutes (2018) (“A supervisor of elections shall be elected in each county at the general election in each year the number of which is a multiple of four for a 4-year term commencing on the first Tuesday after the first Mo...

...the general election in each year the number of which is a multiple of 4.” See also § 100.031, Fla. Stat. (“A general election shall be held in each county . . . to choose a successor to each elective . . . county . . . officer . . . .”); § 98.015, Fla....

...ordinance that requires such an election to be held at the primary election . . . is inconsistent with section 100.041, Florida Statutes (2018), which requires that county constitutional officers appear on the general election ballot.” Majority op. at 8. It also conflicts with section 98.015, Florida Statutes, which separately addresses the election of the supervisor of elections. See § 98.015, Fla....

...Stat. (“In each county, a clerk of the circuit court, sheriff, superintendent of schools, property appraiser, and tax collector shall be chosen by the qualified electors at the general election in each year the number of which is a multiple of 4.”); § 98.015(1), Fla....

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Robert C. Touchston v. Michael McDermott, 234 F.3d 1133 (11th Cir. 2000).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 2000 WL 1781942

...forwarded to the Department of State.9 Fla. Stat. § 102.111(1); Fla. Stat. § 102.112. After all the counties have 8 The county supervisor of elections is an elected official with a four-year term, according to statute. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1). Each county supervisor employs deputy supervisors. Fla. Stat. § 98.015(8)....

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Nancy Carola Jacobsen v. Florida Sec'y of State (11th Cir. 2020).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...Florida law who are not subject to the Secretary’s control. The Supervisors are constitutional officers who are elected at the county level by the people of Florida; they are not appointed by the Secretary. Fla. Const. art. VIII, § 1(d); Fla. Stat. § 98.015(1). The Florida Department of State’s organic statute does not list the Supervisors among its divisions, Fla. Stat. § 20.10(2), and the Board of County Commissioners, not the Department, compensates the Supervisors. Id. § 98.015(2). Only the Governor of Florida, not the Secretary, may suspend county officials such as the Supervisors, and only the state senate may remove them from office....

...e in overseeing elections across the state, most of the work in administering elections occurs at the county level. Each of Florida’s 67 counties elects its own election supervisor who oversees how elections in her county are conducted. See id. § 98.015(1)....

...The supervisor’s responsibilities also include “updat[ing] voter registration, enter[ing] new voter registrations into the statewide voter system, and act[ing] as the official custodian of documents” related to elector registration “and changes in voter registration status.” Id. § 98.015(3). Most relevant here, county election supervisors print the ballots that voters use....

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