Manatee County Supervisor of Elections: Scott Farrington

Age: 45

Current occupation: Candidate for Manatee County supervisor of elections

Resident of Manatee County: 10 years. Before that, 28 years in Sarasota County. I attended and graduated high school, State College of Florida and the University of South Florida, all in Manatee County.  

Why are you running for election?

I joined former Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett in 2013 when he took office. Together, with the team, we worked to ensure that elections were run in a fair and honest way and that Manatee County voters could trust the office and those running it. I have spent 21 years serving those same voters with integrity and professionalism. 

I believe in the election process and think that the work that this office does is critical. My experience and knowledge of election administration in Manatee County, and in Florida, will best serve our voters to continue to provide the secure, accurate and transparent elections we expect in Manatee County. 

What qualifies you to be the supervisor of elections and a better candidate than your opponent?

I have worked as an election professional for more than two decades. My entire professional career has been dedicated to election integrity and security — both critical components in the success of elections in Manatee County. 

During those two decades, I have run more than 75 elections,  including five gubernatorial and five presidential election cycles. 

I served the past 11 years as the chief of staff/assistant SOE for Senator/Supervisor Bennett at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections.  

I know the office, this county, our voters, the complicated functions of the profession and state and federal laws.  I have consistently and efficiently implemented elections in Manatee County in a secure, accurate, and transparent way.  

I earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in Managing Information Systems from the University of South Florida. This, along with my longtime experience, establishes my knowledge and ability to manage the evolving technology in election administration — in everything from cybersecurity to audits to database security. 

I am also certified on a state and national level for election administration, which has provided that additional focus on best practices and state and national trends.  

What needs to change in the supervisor’s office to improve its operations?

I have had the privilege of having a hand in shaping the elections office over the last decade, and that includes setting the culture, hiring key staff and working with all constituents to better the process.  

The staff and office were incredibly efficient and effective, always focused on providing a positive voting experience.  

We worked hard to ensure that voters knew they were part of an open, transparent process by implementing procedures that invited voters in, that encouraged their participation and that helped to educate them on their rights and responsibilities.  

Many office changes come because of changing laws, updates or new certifications in systems, or as internal processes were reviewed and revised.  

This is a difficult question to answer at this point as it appears the office has changed, perhaps significantly, in terms of number of employees, procedures and operations since I left.  

Those changes make what my answer would have been somewhat moot as I do not know what I will be walking back into or the operational adjustments that will have to be made at that point.   

What will be your other priorities?

Every election cycle brings unique issues — whether that is implementing new laws and rules or updating a system. 

The most important, overriding issue facing all elections offices, Manatee County included, is ensuring trust and confidence in the system.  

Earning and maintaining trust goes into every interaction with a voter and others in the community. It requires a consistently honest, fair approach to providing secure, accurate and transparent elections. 

Over the past 11 years, I have worked hard to provide that trust and confidence in the elections process and will continue to retain that as a priority of the office. 

What is your position on voter ID — should voters be required to present a valid ID to register?

Voter ID has been required by Florida for many decades. 

While the specific requirements have changed over time, Florida has implemented it in a uniform and standardized manner that balances security with accessibility.  

It serves to maintain the integrity of the process through enhanced confidence and security in the system while protecting against potential fraud or abuse. 

If you were asked to speak to the governor and Legislature about voting procedures, what would you state your position to be on ballot harvesting; drop boxes; election day versus early voting; and mail-in voting?

All of these issues are, or can be, a critical component of the elections process.  

As far as needed changes or updates to the process, the Florida Legislature has passed three major pieces of legislation in the last four years impacting election administration and how elections are run in Manatee County. 

The implementation of all of this legislation, as well as rule promulgation, is ongoing and affects many of the programs you named. 

I would encourage an ongoing review of the entire election process, including the areas mentioned, to ensure the laws accurately reflect the security needs, technological advances and integrity that is needed to protect against abuse and that the system’s security and integrity is maintained.

I am answering based on the assumption that I would be speaking based on needed changes or updates to the process. After four years of large pieces of legislation that are still not fully implemented, it is difficult to suggest additional legislation until we see how everything works with all of these updates.

What do you think Florida still can do to improve the integrity of the voting system?

Florida has come a long way since 2000. Florida now leads the country in election best practices and highly functioning processes and procedures. 

This goes back to building and keeping that trust and confidence in the entire election system. That involves a day-in-and-day-out process of consistently focusing on security, accuracy and transparency.  

As new issues arise, it is important to fully understand the issue and how it impacts the particular office so as to better keep communication open to voters and the public regarding any changes in the system. I believe that it will take an ongoing vigilance to protect election integrity against the ever-changing challenges it faces.

If money were no object, what improvements would you make the operations of the Manatee Supervisor of Elections office?

While I understand the point of the question, my constant and overriding concern is that the supervisor’s office is funded by taxpayer funds.  

Government frequently forgets it is spending other people’s money. 

While I was at the office, the budget was always carefully developed to ensure the highest and best use of all resources.  That said, there are some areas that will need to be addressed over the next few years, including additional warehouse and office space, upgrading the voting system and, of course, keeping pace with comparable wages for the incredible staff at the office.