The current supervisor of elections, Janet Adkins, is seeking re-election, facing one challenger, Stan Bethea. As both candidates are Republicans, and no Democrats or other candidates qualified for the race, their Republican primary in August will be open to all voters in the county, regardless of party affiliation.
News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
Janet Adkins
Occupation: Nassau County Supervisor of Elections
Age: 58
Family: Married to Doug Adkins (27 years); two children: Emily (1999-2022) and Douglas (22 years).
Education: Graduated Magna Cum Laude with BS in Information Science, University of North Florida; MBA University of North Florida; Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA)
Political experience: ‘Served 8 years in Florida House of Representatives - 2008-2016
Served 10 years - Nassau County School Board
Served - Nassau County Zoning Board
Served - Republican State Committeewoman/ Congressional Caucus Chair
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
The top three issues in this race include:
1. Stopping illegal immigrants from casting fraudulent votes
Clean voter rolls are the foundation of election security. I have requested a list of non-US citizens from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that possess a driver’s license or state identification and are known to reside in our community so we can check to ensure they are not registered to vote in our county. We will remain vigilant and ensure that only US Citizens are allowed to vote.
2. Combatting Misinformation and Fake News
We have added a button to our website www.votenassaufl.gov to allow citizens to report misinformation and fake news so that local elections officials can investigate and ensure that citizens receive accurate information.
3. Recruit and Train top elections workers
We have one of the very best elections team in Florida as evidenced by the recent four national awards. I am continuing to work on recruiting top talent and ensure that the next generation of elections workers to help ensure we are ready for the growth in the county and that voters will have top ranked elections team continuing to serve the citizens in the next ten years.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I believe that a public office is a public trust. I live this mission every day and it requires that we take extensive steps to ensure we understand new laws and regulations that govern local elections and that we follow these rules. I believe in transparency as this office belongs to the citizens, to that end I have created a citizen’s advisory council that meets on a monthly basis and finally I was the first local elections office in Florida to implement a mobile app for voters.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would hope that my legacy would be that I worked to preserve the public trust, modernized ballot and election security measures and prepared the office for growth and the future with high quality elections workers that help make our office an award-winning office of innovation.
Campaign website: www.janetadkins.com
Campaign social media: Facebook
Stan Bethea
Occupation: My career spanned 32 ½ years with the City of Jacksonville, the last 18 of which were at the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office. I retired as Director of Information Services and Chief Elections Officer in July 2023.
Age: 56
Family: Married, wife Nancy. 1 Daughter.
Education: ‘- Bachelor of Science from the University of North Florida.
- CERA (Certified Election Registration Administrator), national election certification,
- MFCEP (Master Florida Certified Election Professional), Florida election certification.
- Numerous seminars/presentations on subjects including voter signature verification, cybersecurity and determining voter intent.
Political experience: I have 18 years of election administration experience, directing 50 successful elections.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Issue 1 - Lack of voter confidence in elections.
Solution 1 - Florida elections are among the most well-run in the nation, yet voter distrust and cynicism run rampant. This has contributed to the decline in Nassau County’s voter turnout over the last three elections. I plan to bring openness to elections and encourage citizens to become active in election administration (i.e. become poll workers or poll watchers).
Issue 2 - The Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office is not using the latest, most secure, voting machines.
Solution 2 – The Nassau County Supervisor of Elections has bragged about returning over $1.5 million to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners over the past three fiscal years. A budget surplus of that amount is either a gross cost estimation error, or the refund amount was “pre-baked” into the budget from the start. Both are dishonest. I plan to accurately and truthfully put forth departmental budgets, and update all voting equipment to the newest, most secure, available.
Issue 3 - In 2022, the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections provided inaccurate and misleading information to a candidate seeking to run for office. As a result, the candidate was unable and ineligible to run. When the Supervisor’s negligence was realized, her office created a false cover story.
Solution 3 – It is the responsibility of the Supervisor of Elections to be the “election expert,” the one from whom candidates and voters seek guidance. I plan to provide accurate information in a truthful, timely, and trustworthy way, which is to be expected and the honorable thing to do.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I will put my nearly two decades of election administration experience to work serving Nassau County voters. While I am not so foolish as to think I have “seen and done it all,” I have witnessed my fair share of complicated and complex election situations. I will bring experience I earned in Duval County, the seventh largest in Florida, to Nassau County, the thirty-sixth largest in Florida (and my lifelong home). This means, I will use my Duval County election expertise, vetted over 50 elections and with over 6 million votes cast, in Nassau County as its population grows.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I hope to remembered as a Supervisor who followed the servant model of leadership exhibited by former Nassau County Supervisors of Elections Mrs. Shirley King and Mrs. Vicki Cannon. How? Through administering elections in an open and honest manner, and by simply serving Nassau County’s voters in an honorable and upright way. Additionally, I hope to be remembered as a Supervisor who put the voter’s interests above any self-promotion or political agenda.
Campaign website: www.StanBethea.com
Campaign social media: Facebook