Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Duval County Elections Chief Weighs In On Local, State Voting Issues

www.coj.net

Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland says he's hopeful the Jacksonville City Council will vote to move a local elections center out of the Gateway Shopping Center to Imeson Park Boulevard on the city's Northside. 

The full Council decides the matter next week, after a committee voted Tuesday 5-4 to approve a 10-year lease for the former Sears Catalog Center off North Main Street.

Holland says the move makes good business sense and would save taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars annually.

Holland also weighed in on Governor Rick Scott's recently announced plans to remove non-citizens from Florida's voter rolls. The initiative was made possible after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

Similar searches a year ago leading up to the 2012 elections were rife with errors and led to lawsuits from advocacy groups. They also found few ineligible voters.

"We want to make sure non-citizens don't vote, but at the same time, we need to make sure ELIGIBLE citizens are able to vote," Holland told First Coast Connect listeners. "Further problems will only erode confidence in our system."

Click here to listen to Melissa's interview with Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland at WJCT OnDemand.

Melissa Ross joined WJCT in 2009 with 20 years of experience in broadcasting, including stints in Cincinnati, Chicago, Orlando and Jacksonville. During her career as a television and radio news anchor and reporter, Melissa has won four regional Emmys for news and feature reporting.