09/02/2025
Sumter County hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the completion of construction on its new Supervisor of Elections (SOE) facility in Bushnell. Located at 332 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, the modern, 26,773-square-foot building is designed to accommodate the County’s growing voter population and election administration needs. It will also provide secure and centralized storage for all voting equipment, eliminating the reliance on external storage containers. The facility will officially open for service in January 2026. To provide additional support to voters, the SOE office in Wildwood will remain open and fully operational following the new facility’s opening.
“Our mission is to provide a fair, independent, and efficient voting process in Sumter County that promotes a positive election experience with integrity,” said William “Bill” Keen, Sumter County’s Supervisor of Elections. “The new facility will heavily support this mission, and it will enhance our team’s ability to streamline election operations.”
The supervisor of elections oversees all aspects of voter services in Sumter County, including registration, absentee/mail-in ballots, poll worker training, election equipment, and precinct management. The department’s success is profoundly reliant on the team’s technological proficiency, organizational and customer service skills, and ability to adapt to unexpected challenges. With plenty of office space and multiple warehouses, Sumter County’s new SOE facility will help uphold democratic governance to its highest standards by giving the SOE team access to the resources needed to improve community service.
As one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida, Sumter County is expected to expand by two to four precincts each election season. With a current population of over 154,600, by 2032, growth predictions forecast as many as 60 precincts in Sumter County. This would nearly double the current number of precincts. With the extra number of precincts comes a crucial need for more resources. As many as 1,000 additional election workers will be needed to support the extra precincts adequately. Compared to the current SOE office in Wildwood, which houses nine employees, the new facility in Bushnell will provide a larger space to train more election workers, improving the County’s ability to serve a larger volume of customers.
“We’re proud to say that Sumter County has one of the highest voter turnouts in Florida. In 2024, 84% of people voted during the general election. Supporting our active voters is imperative, and we’re confident the new Supervisor of Elections building will provide essential support to our growing team and community,” said Traci Oliver, Sumter County’s Assistant Supervisor of Elections.
In partnership with Mark Cook Builders, Inc. and Harvard Jolly Architecture, Sumter County began the construction process in April 2024. To celebrate the project’s overall success, the County hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, we want to extend our deepest appreciation to our staff, elected officials, and community partners who collaborated on this important project.
The new facility will serve as the Supervisor of Elections office for the Bushnell area while also functioning as a centralized storage hub and training facility. Once the facility opens for service, the former annex office on Anderson Avenue in Bushnell will transition to house other County departments within the Board of County Commissioners.
Once open to the public, the new SOE facility will serve the community Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. To learn more, visit https://elections.sumtercountyfl.gov/.
