Hernando’s “Cheerleader for Democracy” Readies to Hang up Pom-Poms

After 12 years at her post, Hernando County Supervisor of Elections Shirley Anderson is set to retire. Anderson did not seek reelection and will be succeeded by current staff member Denise LeVancher, who ran unopposed during the 2024 cycle. The Sun aims to take a short look back at Anderson’s background as she prepares to hand over the reins.

Before she was supervising elections in Hernando County, Ms. Anderson served the offices of US Congressmen and Congresswomen. During her tenures with Representatives Rich Nugent and Ginny Brown Waite, she managed their campaigns, among other tasks.

While she served these lawmakers, Shirley worked with supervisors of elections across several counties. Anderson was “dismayed a little bit at the response I got from my own county,” and she thought, “I could do better.” Voila.

Then came her campaign for the local office in 2008. She “[put] all the pieces together” with endorsements, fundraising, and even knocking on doors, but it was not enough. She fell to the incumbent her first time around. Once the seat came open in 2012, though, she threw her hat back in the ring and was victorious.

Her goal was to make the voting process in Hernando County “easy” and “transparent” and for people to “know that their vote mattered.” Shirley added that citizens who wish to learn more about the voting process can visit their offices on Spring Hill Drive at any time.

The outgoing supervisor of elections has always been dedicated to ensuring that the process was made better for all candidates regardless of party affiliation. “I think we’ve done a really good job with that.”

Ms. Anderson is happy and proud to have built an “amazing” staff of 13 as well as set up procedures for candidates, voter registration, and beyond. Alongside the establishment of programs such as Hernando’s Adopt-A-Precinct, these are her proudest achievements.

This program allows her offices to pay election workers through non-profits that they work for instead of paying the person directly. Her team trains the workers and pays the check to whichever 501(c)(3) the person works for. This keeps everything above board and ensures that only individuals who are “invested in the community” are brought on to help safeguard “the frontlines of democracy,” said Anderson. She noted that the Junior Service League of Brooksville is their longest-serving organization.

Under her leadership, the county changed over to the current paper ballots we have today. In tandem with auditing 100 percent of the ballots across Hernando, her offices were a key piece in processing one of the most ballot-rich states in the Union in mere hours.

Preparation for an election takes at least a year and presidential elections can easily double the time required. Add in things like the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 or a pair of hurricanes in the most recent cycle and things can get pretty hectic.

For Anderson, the most fulfilling part of the job is seeing voters cast their ballots and hearing the election workers cheer when a first-time voter comes in. She was surprised at the sheer volume of new voters this time around. “Every time I turned around in an early vote site, they were clapping and cheering for a new first-time voter,” she said.

As the interview with Ms. Anderson wrapped up, she gestured towards a pair of pom-poms hanging in the corner of her office. “The cheerleader for Democracy” in Hernando County, she calls herself. Our supervisor of elections has always been passionate about her job and believes that she is leaving her pom poms in very capable hands. “Great things are going to come,” Anderson said.