Gadsden County will soon have a new supervisor of elections.
Kenya Ponder Williams will be sworn in on Jan. 7, 2025, after running for the office unopposed.
A Quincy native, Williams graduated from James A. Shanks High School in 1990.
Her background in the elections field began 17 years ago.
“I was hired in August of 2007 by Supervisor Shirley Green Knight to work in the Gadsden County Supervisor of Elections office. I had the opportunity to work in various roles and receive several promotions.”
Knight is retiring in December.
In 2016, she was promoted to assistant supervisor of elections position and is currently serving in that position.
Williams said she was motivated to run for the position because she has the qualifications needed to move Gadsden County’s election system forward.
“The next Supervisor of Elections in Gadsden County should have in-depth knowledge of the election laws, in-depth knowledge of the election process and the ability to make wise decisions that will always produce the best outcome for the voters in Gadsden County,” Williams added.
She said the supervisor should also have the ability to keep data files and infrastructure safe, be fiscally responsible with the budget and have a desire to see every eligible voter registered and able to cast their vote with full confidence that every vote will count.
Williams noted her main goals as supervisor of elections are to educate our voters on the election process, keep voters informed and promote voter participation.
“Voters are always welcome and encouraged to visit our office and view the election equipment used to tabulate their votes, have the voting process explained or simply meet with me for a one-on-one session or group session to get their questions answered,” Williams said.
She said she wants to ensure that information is distributed directly from the supervisor of elections office, as it maintains a reputation of being “the” trusted source of election and voting information.
Once in office, Williams said there are some new initiatives she plans to implement, including Some new initiatives that I will implement includes Voter Outreach Community Days (these will be
held in various communities in conjunction with local organizations), Vote In Honor of a Vet (this
initiative will allow voters to dedicate their vote to honor American military men and women) and the Gadsden County Future Voters Project which will ensure that our youth ages 16 -17 are pre-registered and that our youth 18 years of age are fully registered.
Williams hopes these initiatives, along with other efforts, will increase voter participation.
She said she will make sure that voters are educated on upcoming election activity dates, voting options and opportunities to get engaged in our outreach initiatives.
“This will be done by using various advertisements and marketing avenues such as billboards, mail outs, signage, social media messages, and by using TextMyGov which is a new feature that we have already implemented to keep our voters informed,” Williams said.
Williams has already been working with local high schools to educate the youth and make sure they are registered to vote before graduating.
“For the last couple of years, I have dedicated an entire school day to the government class at Gadsden County High School educating each class on voting and the election process,” Williams said. “I also educate and register students at Robert F. Munroe, Tallavana Christian School, Crossroad Academy Charter School and Carter Parramore Academy.”
She said she will continue this effort and incorporate the middle schools to introduce them to the electoral process at an early age.
Williams shared current Supervisor of Elections Shirley Knight Green has been her biggest inspiration in her elections career.
“She taught me to treat every voter with respect, follow the election laws, always have integrity and to always make decisions based on what is best for the voters of Gadsden County,” said Williams.
When she is not working, Williams said she enjoys When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, fishing, working in the community, traveling and reading a good book.
She has two children, Tivonte and Tishana; she also has three adorable grandchildren, Kaylee, Maison and Rylee.
Williams said it’s an honor to continue to serve.
“I will always have an open door policy and I welcome any citizen to feel free to come by my office and ask questions, offer suggestions and partner with us in our efforts to improve our office and move our elections system forward.”
Erin Hill – Gadsden County News Service
