Meet Mike Ertel

Michael Ertel was appointed the Supervisor of Elections for Seminole County on February 7, 2005 by Governor Jeb Bush. He was subsequently elected in 2006 and 2008. Governor Charlie Crist selected Ertel to serve as the chair of the Florida Citizen Review Group for the Department of State transition effort.

Since his initial appointment, the office has made significant improvements in services to voters and candidates under the office's new mission statement: Efficient Elections — Excellent Service — Fiduciary Conservatism — Voter Confidence.

Prior to becoming supervisor Ertel spent eight years in the U.S. Army and was in the public relations field for 12 years, with stints as a public affairs representative for the U.S. Army during the Los Angeles riots, Macedonian, and Bosnian operations. In 1998 he became Seminole County government's first community information professional, guiding communications for the county government. After that, he was the director of public relations for a 185-location bank.

The 40-year-old Ertel is a homegrown elected official, attending Red Bug, Sterling Park and English Estates elementary, Tuskawilla middle and Lake Howell high schools before attending the University of Maryland University College. In 2002 he completed the Harvard Program on Negotiation module on crisis communications titled How to Deal with an Angry Public. In 2009 Ertel completed the American University Election Management Institute. Mike is a highly sought speaker on elections issues, speaking to state and national election official organizations, as well as testifying before the State of Texas Legislature on Voter Identification laws and was a speaker at the 2010 American Bar Association mid-year meeting. On the eve of the 2008 General Election, he was featured on Fox News Channel. In his spare time, Mike enjoys racquetball, Revolutionary history and the music of the Rat Pack.