The position, which oversees the registration of nearly half a million voters and acts as the official custodian of all election documents, pays an annual salary of nearly $190,000.<\/p>\n
In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis\u00a0tapped fellow Republican Jenna Persons-Mulicka<\/a>\u00a0to fill the vacancy after\u00a0former Supervisor Tommy Doyle retired<\/a>\u00a0in January, stepping down from a position he held for nearly a decade. While Persons-Mulicka serves as the incumbent, the seat will appear on the 2026 ballot for a full two-year term.<\/p>\n Chris Vignieri, a Democrat, is also running for the seat. He\u2019s a government attorney and has lived in Lee County since 2000.<\/p>\n He has served as the Chief Legal Counsel for the Suncoast Region of the\u00a0Department of Children and Families<\/a> (Pasco to Collier counties) since October 2025. In this role, he manages a legal office that covers several counties and serves nearly 6 million Floridians. He previously served as Legal Counsel overseeing Circuit 20 since January 2021 and as an attorney in DCF\u2019s Children\u2019s Legal Services division from 2014 to 2021 in various roles.<\/p>\n He graduated from the Florida Coastal School of Law in 2012 and was admitted to the\u00a0Florida Bar<\/a>\u00a0in 2013.<\/p>\n Vignieri\u2019s campaign platform addresses election integrity through a 10-point plan that includes a commitment to perform an audit of the vote tabulation system and the vote-by-mail process within 30 days of taking office. His platform also includes an “Open Door Policy” and a zero-tolerance policy for tampering.<\/p>\n Q&A with Elections Supervisor candidate Vignieri<\/p>\n Why are you running to be the Supervisor of Elections, and what makes you the best person to lead this office?<\/p>\n The current supervisor was appointed \u2014 I believe people deserve a choice in their elected public servants. That’s why I chose to run. I’ve called Lee County home since 2000, and I care about all the people here. I believe in servant leadership and that elected officials work for the people. As an attorney with The Department of Children and Families since 2014, I have experience in administrative law and government programs. I funded my own filing fee and have received no PAC or special interest contributions. My only interest is in serving the voters of Lee County. My goal is to provide voters an exceptional customer service experience when they cast a vote, so they feel confident and enthusiastic about voting in the future.<\/p>\n Do you believe past elections in Lee County were accurate, and what is your stance on claims that Florida\u2019s elections are broken or rigged?<\/p>\n I do believe past elections have been secure and accurate in Lee County. We are blessed in Florida with the greatest elections in the USA. There are processes and safeguards in place at every step of the way that prevent voter fraud and ensure accuracy. We have many options when it comes to submitting a ballot including early voting and vote by mail, which voters can track. The Supervisor of Elections Office has experienced staff and volunteers that understand legal requirements, voting procedures, and equipment handling. Aside from these safeguards, however, the impartiality and neutrality of the administrator of our elections must also be without question.<\/p>\n Specifically, how will you ensure impartial oversight in races involving your political allies or immediate family members?<\/p>\n As Chief Regional Legal Counsel for the Department of Children and Families, I understand how important it is to avoid mixing personal interests with government administration. Unlike my opponent, I do not have family members or political allies involved with elections that I would oversee. For that reason, measures such as recusal from the canvassing board would be of remote concern. Lee County voters need and deserve a complete Supervisor of Elections who can do all the requirements of the job. The tax-paying voters of Lee County deserve it and should expect nothing less.<\/p>\n What is your plan to ensure the physical and digital security of cast ballots and maintain a transparent chain of custody?<\/p>\n My plan centers on audits and documented accountability at every step. I\u2019ll ensure written chain-of-custody procedures as required by law that track ballots from printing to tabulation. On the digital side, that means regular cybersecurity audits of our election system, updating security protocols and staying current with state and federal guidance. I\u2019ll also prioritize routine post-election audits to verify results independent of the initial count. Transparency isn\u2019t an afterthought \u2014 it\u2019s built into the process through public equipment testing, public reporting and open canvassing board meetings so that voters can trust the security and integrity of every vote cast.<\/p>\n How do you plan to implement new state laws for voter citizenship verification and “vote validation” systems?<\/p>\n Voters need clarity about the rules they are operating under; it is my commitment to provide that always, seeking guidance from the Division of Elections when necessary. Keep in mind, the verification process happens during registration, not at the ballot box. Florida law already requires an ID to vote; and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles cross-checks the voter\u2019s citizenship when they register. Our senior population must be considered, who might lack records and\/or digitized files. We must help in that event. We can enforce the law strictly and still help eligible voters overcome barriers they may face.<\/p>\n What are your top three priorities for the Supervisor of Elections office, and what is the first change you would make?<\/p>\n I would emphasize increasing registration and voter participation \u2014 only 141,312 of 494,400 or 28.58% of registered voters cast a ballot in the 2026 Primary election. We can do better than that. I would also maximize voting infrastructure within reason, especially in remote areas of the county. More options are needed, especially for early voting and vote-by-mail drop-off. Residents of Alva must drive about 30 minutes to an early voting location. We need to review voting site placement based on drive time for rural communities like Alva, Buckingham, Bayshore, and Pine Island. So that would be the first change. I will also focus on instilling a renewed sense of trust in our electoral system.<\/p>\n Is there anything else you want to add?<\/p>\n I\u2019m ready to serve as the Elections Supervisor in Lee County. I have experience in administrative law and procedure and have had a successful legal career with a large state agency. My focus has always been on enforcing the letter of the law while also providing exceptional customer service. I will also emphasize quality of life for employees and staff. As important as the safeguards surrounding elections, there must not be any question about the impartiality and independence of the person serving, as there are now. Lee County deserves an elections office it can trust. As such, there is only one clear choice.<\/p>\n To learn more about Vignieri and his campaign, visit\u00a0chris4soe.com<\/a><\/p>\n Mickenzie Hannon is a watchdog reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News, covering Collier and Lee counties. Contact her at 239-435-3423 or\u00a0mhannon@gannett.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news\u00a0by subscribing to\u00a0The News-Press<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Naples Daily News<\/a>; download\u00a0the\u00a0free\u00a0News-Press<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Naples Daily News app<\/a>, and sign up for daily briefing\u00a0email\u00a0newsletter, food &\u00a0dining\u00a0and growth & development newsletters\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated Oct. 15, 2026, 10:08 a.m. ET Lee County voters will choose a new Supervisor of Elections in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,209,211,210,47,112632,112552,1804,1805,158280,923,2285,147356,98489,23590,7525,306,491,134302,1531,308,49,921,814,1533,35,74807,34],"class_list":["post-431081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-accessmetered","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-fl","tag-sourcefort-myers-news-press","tag-sourcenaples-daily-news","tag-sstsnewspoliticselections","tag-sstsnelections","tag-tag2026-u-s-general-elections","tag-tagcampaigns-elections","tag-tagcollier-county","tag-tagcounty-general-election","tag-tagearly-voting","tag-tagelection-day","tag-tagelections","tag-tagfl-content-sharing-swfl","tag-taggovernment","tag-taglee-county-supervisor-of-elections","tag-taglocal-elections","tag-taglocal-news","tag-tagoverall-neutral","tag-tagrepublican-party","tag-tagron-desantis","tag-tagstate-and-local-elections","tag-tagstory-highlights-ai-enabled","tag-tagvoting","tag-typestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/91062333007-elections-apw-1786.jpg\")
![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/90683238007-123-1.JPEG\")
![\"Staff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/91062334007-elections-dsc-1567.jpg\")