David Stafford has served as Escambia County Supervisor of Elections since January 2005, following his election the previous November. A graduate of the University of Florida, Stafford is a past president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections and current legislative co-chair of the National Association of Election Officials.
Since the designation of elections as part of our nation’s critical infrastructure in 2017, Stafford has served on the sector’s Government Coordinating Council as one of nine local election officials nationally. He currently serves on its Executive Committee and helped author the communications and information sharing protocols for the sector.
Stafford serves on the Council of State Governments Overseas Voting Initiative, a multi-year partnership with the Department of Defense to improve the voting experience for military and overseas voters. He was a member of the 2017 Florida Military and Overseas Voting Task Force and testified before Congress on the subject in 2011. Stafford was a presenter to the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on the Future of Voting in 2017 and served as a reviewer of its report, “Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy.” His office was the recipient of a 2020 U.S. Election Assistance Commission Clearinghouse Award, also known as the “Clearie” Awards, for best practices in election administration.
As an active member of the community, Stafford serves as chairman of the board for Global Connections to Employment and as vice-chair of Lakeview Center. He is a Paul Harris Fellow and past president of the Pensacola Rotary Club and Pensacola Sports Association, and has chaired the American Cancer Society’s Pensacola Relay For Life and the Friends of Scouting campaign. He is a recipient of the ARC Gateway “Lucy Petree Outstanding Service” Award, was named the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council “Outstanding Citizen Diplomat of the Year,” and was recognized with the “God in Government” Award at the Governmental Prayer Breakfast.
Stafford is a native of Pensacola where he resides with his wife and their two sons, and is an active member of Christ Church.