Health & Fitness
Voter Outreach at the Weekly Jury Pool
An overview of creative voter outreach by your Supervisor of Elections
Our responsibility to inform voters and to make voter registration and updates convenient and readily available has challenged us to re-invent our strategy in these days of shrinking budgets. Partnering with other county agencies and entities has been a cost-effective method to reach large numbers of people. One of our most successful efforts began almost three years ago in our partnership with Dr. Paula O’Neil, Pasco County Clerk and Comptroller. Pasco County once again led the state in innovation as this was the first partnering of the Supervisor of Elections and Clerk & Comptroller for voter outreach!
Every Monday morning, I have the honor of personally speaking to the pool of prospective jurors for all of Pasco County on all things voter registration and more. Important voter information is disseminated via closed circuit TV in both the East and West Pasco Government Centers, and registration materials and information on requesting a vote-by-mail ballot, updating your address, or making a party change is available. Depending on the court docket, we reach approximately 250 people a week. In addition to registering them to vote, we have an opportunity to dispel the myth that jury pool selection is dependent upon the list of registered voters.
Doing more with less has resulted in some creative, easy-on-the-pocketbook solutions that have allowed us to work smarter, not harder. Taking advantage of a moment where civic minds are already gathered has done just that. While this voter outreach endeavor is free, its value as a means of communicating with voters is priceless!
