After each decennial Census, the State Legislature and certain local jurisdictions redraw the districts from which Florida voters elect members. Due to COVID and other variables, the team at Elections had a tight timeline to complete necessary system updates. Through a combination of experience and teamwork, Gilbert Yurubi, Xavier Pichs, Joanne Garnier and their team of dedicated technicians completed the task successfully.
"Our mission was to gather all the adopted district changes from the State, County and Municipalities, then apply the district changes to the voter records," Yurubi said. "My team is Information Systems which also includes tabulation and Relia-Vote, the software that manages the machines we use to mail out ballots. Our team has 22 members; Xavier and Joanne were the project leads."
"We brainstormed the most effective way to utilize everyone’s strengths and skillsets," Pichs explained. "There were a total of 57 different districts that participated in the redistricting process. Those 57 districts were the Senate, House, Congressional, School Board, County Commission, City of Miami Commission, and City of North Miami Commission districts. We needed to see how they affected our 887 precincts. Once all the changes were made and tested, a GIS analysis compared the 1.5 million+ voters district values in the voter redistricting database against the GIS values identified. With changes verified, the data was imported into the live voter database where more quality assurance was performed. As everyone has some kind of impact in their precinct district assignment, we had to mail out Voter ID cards to all voters which was an impressive logistical feat on its own."
"Joanne and Xavier work hard. Their dedication, attention to detail, planning and organizational skills made success possible," Yurubi said.
“Working with Gilbert and Xavier was rewarding, but it took our whole team working together to make this happen," Joanne said. "There were many tedious and intricate task with a tight schedule, their support made everything possible.”
“The project required a lot of sacrifices including early mornings, late nights and long weekends," Xavier recalled. "Independently, we each have our own strengths, but as a team, we're a force to be reckoned with!”
Joanne added, “As a working mom and a woman in a male-dominated industry, striking that work/life balance is not easy, but when you're passionate about what you do, everything becomes possible.”
Experience was definitely a factor. As the most experienced with the Voter Registration System, Gilbert took on the task of making system changes and producing the files containing the 1.5 million voter records used to mail out the new Voter ID cards.
Having worked as a GIS Specialist during the 2012-2015 redistricting project, Xavier's expertise was invaluable in creating project plans, verifying district assignments per precincts, and finding efficiencies.
"What I do has to exceed the expectations of the residents of Miami-Dade County, my managers and my peers," Gilbert said. "That’s what motivates me."
“Our department’s mission statement is 'We pledge to instill trust and confidence by conducting elections that are fair, accurate, transparent and accessible for all voters of Miami-Dade County,'" Xavier added. "But it's more than just a mission statement. To us, it's a call of duty. Together, we strive for success, no matter how impossible the ask may seem, because we are Miami-Dade County. Our County is unique because so many of our constituents are immigrants from countries where the privilege to participate in a free and fair electoral process is not an option. We have to be Election Ready!”
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