Lori Edwards

Polk County Supervisor of Elections

Lori Edwards has been the Supervisor of Elections in Polk County, Florida since January, 2001. As the Executive Officer responsible for administering fair elections, maintaining voter rolls and providing voter registration services for a county of more than 800,000 residents, Lori has conducted more than 200 successful elections while serving in this elected position.

Before becoming Supervisor of Elections, Lori represented eastern Polk County in the Florida Legislature for eight years.  She began her career as a radio news director and then left radio to become a communication consultant.  Lori earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Warner University in Lake Wales. She earned CERA designation (Certified Election Registration Administrator) from the Election Center, earned a Professional Certificate in Electoral Processes from the International Center for Parliamentary Studies in London, England and maintains a state certification for Supervisors of Elections.

Lori is a past President of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, and remains active in that professional organization. She serves on the MIT Election Data and Science Lab Advisory Board as well as the Editorial Board of the Journal of Election Administration, Research and Practice.  She currently co-chairs the Florida Certified Election Professional program, an award-winning educational program for election officials and staff.