Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford today released the results of a comprehensive survey of Escambia County voters conducted during the primary and general elections by the University of West Florida’s Haas Center in order to measure voter satisfaction with polling locations and staff, knowledge of election rules, voting method choice, and other factors.
Among the highlights:
• Nearly 99% of voters rated poll workers’ performances as ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’
• Almost all voters said they had no problem finding their polling location.
• 96% of voters had to wait in line only 5 minutes or less.
• Overwhelmingly, respondents reported they had no difficulty marking and casting their ballot.
• 90.4% strongly agreed that their ballot privacy was protected; another 7.7% somewhat agreed.
• More than 82% of respondents consider SOE mail correspondence as helpful.
The summary statistics and key findings from the November 8 General Election were gathered using mixed-methods, including intercept and phone, and covered all three voter groups – early, mail and Election Day. Nearly 2,500 voters were surveyed over the course of the primary and general elections. A copy of the full report is attached, as well as a summary of the general election results.
“We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with UWF and others in initiating this survey,” said Stafford. “The results are encouraging, and we look forward to using the data to provide an even better voter experience for the citizens of Escambia County in the future.”
“This was an ideal project to apply the unique capabilities and expertise of the Haas Center,” said Brice Harris, assistant vice president, Division of Research and Strategic Innovation, under which the Haas Center is organized. “The results of this study will enable the Escambia County SOE to benchmark his office’s stellar performance in furtherance of its core mission to provide an open, impartial, and secure elections process.”
“The entire Haas Center team was pleased to partner with the Supervisor of Elections Office on this endeavor. During this process, we were able to gather feedback from nearly 2,500 voters about their satisfaction with the voting process, confidence in elections and knowledge about the election system. These results will provide a great benchmark for the SOE when evaluating their own performance and training programs as well as provide valuable information about Escambia County’s voting population to the larger community,” said Amy Newburn, Assistant Director, Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development.