Orange County supervisor of elections retires after overseeing 103 election days
After 34 years and 103 election days highlighted by the 2000 vote recount that decided Americaโs 43rd President, Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles will officially step down from the job that has been the hallmark of his professional life since 1989.
Trust Index: Robocall telling people โstay home,โ Orange County Democratic chair says
Stay safe and stay home.โโThis coming on the eve of election, we think is designed to suppress the vote tomorrow,โ said Orange County Democratic Party Chair Wes Hodge, while standing across the street from the Supervisor of Elections Office Monday. Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said he didnโt know there was an issue until he saw Hodge holding a news conference across the street from the elections office. โWe do know that Republicans make up a large number of the voters that vote on election day. Who can possibly tell?โโThe Florida Department of State has not received any reports regarding a robocall encouraging people to stay home on Election Day,โ said spokesman Mark Ard. If anyone has an issue voting on Election Day they can call the Voter Protection Hotline at 833-VOTE-FLA.
Do you have last-minute voting questions? Hereโs what you need to know
ORLANDO, Fla. โ As election workers make final preparations for Election Day, Orange Countyโs Supervisor of Elections is answering last-minute questions for voters preparing to cast their ballots. If a voter is still holding onto a vote-by-mail ballot, Cowles said itโs too late to send it in the mail. For anyone arriving near the time when polls close, Cowles urged voters to stay in line until their ballot is cast. Cowles said workers at his office are available to answer any questions about Election Day. We had a record turnout, we had almost 70,000 people and weโve had a 62% turnout countywide with early voting and mail ballots."
Last call: Early voting ends this weekend in Central Florida
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Early voting ends on Sunday, giving voters three more days to cast their ballots at early voting locations. [TRENDING: COVID-19 closes early voting location | Can you get COVID-19 twice? He said the early voting is done on Sunday night, meaning they will have 100% of those numbers. In terms of the vote-by-mail ballots, Cowles said theyโve been processing those and will likely have about 95% of those completed. โWe know that the last weekend of early voting is always the heaviest,โ Cowles said.
Central Florida elections officials expect record number of votes for 2020 election
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ As election day nears, several elections supervisors in Central Florida said that they expect a record number of votes to be cast in the 2020 presidential election. Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said more than 235,000 people have already returned their mail-in ballots, with another 181,000 people who participated in in-person early voting. Osceola County Supervisor of Elections, Mary Jane Arrington said that about 70,000 of nearly 100,000 requested mail-in ballots have already been returned. Marion County Supervisor of Elections, Wesley Wilcox said that his county is already nearing a 60% voter turn-out with early and mail-in ballots. In Lake County, Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays said of the 90,000 requested mail-in ballots, about 60,000 have already been returned.
Elections supervisor: Voting is the best way for Floridians to prevent a statewide recount
โVoters can help us prevent a recount by getting out and voting in this election,โ Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said. Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision halting the recount, Al Gore conceded the election to George W. Bush with just 537 votes separating the two. โSince the 2000 election, Florida has streamlined its process,โ Cowles said. Under state law, machine recounts are triggered when the margin is less than or equal to one-half percent of total votes. โAfter the 2018 election, we said to the county commission, โWe need more high-speed counters to help separate ballots in preparation for a recount,'โ Cowles told News 6.
Mismatched signatures lead to voter confusion in Orange County
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ First-time voter, Micah Gregory, said he tried to vote in the 2020 Primary Election, but said his vote didnโt count because of a mismatched signature, that he failed to submit a cure affidavit for. Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Bill Cowles, said theyโve already seen hundreds of signature issues this election. Cowles said, as of October 21st, theyโve received 567 ballots without a signature and 769 where the signature differs. Gregory said, in his case, by the time he realized there was an issue with his ballot, it was too late. Cowles said voters who have provisionally rejected ballots, have until 5pm on the Thursday after the election to cure their ballot, so that it counts.
โNot a hack:โ Orange County elections website goes down on first day of early voting
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Orange Countyโs elections website is not available Monday morning, the first day of early voting, due to a technical issue. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections website, ocfelections.com, is unavailable but can be accessed by using https://34.232.90.38/, according to Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles. We have encountered a technical issue with our DNS server (that) translates the IP address to the domain name,โ officials said in a statement. "Our site has not been hacked and there has not been any security breach, this is a technical issue (that) we are working to resolve. There will be a warning because of the issue with the DNS server, but the site is secure and safe, officials said.
Floridians cast their ballots as early voting begins
ORLANDO, Fla. โ With early voting beginning Monday in nearly every Central Florida county, voters are being urged to keep a few things in mind before heading off to the polls. [RESULTS 2020: Voter Guide]The early voting locations can be found on sample ballots, which have been mailed out to registered voters. Itโs four pages of voting, so pre-mark your sample ballot and bring it with you,โ Cowles said. Early voting begins in every Central Florida county on Monday except for Sumter County, which begins on Tuesday. For more details about voting in Orange County, visit ocfelections.com
Orange County publicly tests election equipment before processing ballots
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said public testing of the equipment has to happen before they can start processing vote-by-mail ballots. Florida statutes state that supervisor of elections must publicly test 5% of precinct tabulating equipment. In Orange County, that means 19 machines that will be used at early voting sites and precincts must be publicly tested. [2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of the presidential election | Voting by mail? Hereโs how to track your ballot]It also states that all vote-by-mail tabulating equipment be tested, which is seven machines in Orange County.
Florida election offices see rush on final day to register to vote
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Monday, Oct. 5 was the last day for Florida voters to register to vote in the 2020 General Election. Being the last day, the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office was very busy, both inside and outside. Orange Countyโs Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said the department will have record breaking numbers of registered voters for the 2020 General Election. Cowles said the number of registered voters is constantly changing due to people registering online, in person and through mandated sites like libraries. As of Monday at noon there were already at over 849,000 registered, compared to 776,721 in 2016.
Time running out to register to vote in Novemberโs general election
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ The deadline to register to vote during Novemberโs general election is quickly approaching. Cowles said the county is on track to have a record number of registered voters for this general election. Two years ago when we had the U.S. Senate race and the Governorโs contest, we had almost 798,000 registered voters,โ Cowles said. According to the elections office website, there are 849,974 registered voters in Orange County. Cowles said you can also print the registration form from the state elections website or from your local elections office website and mail it in.
Orange County Supervisor of Elections office extends hours to register voters
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Orange County Supervisor of Elections office will be open Saturday to help register people to vote before the registration deadline. To help accommodate people ahead of the cut-off date, the Supervisor of Elections office is extending its hours. โThis is a chance for voters who cannot come in during our normal business hours to make sure they get registered before the deadline,โ Bill Cowles, Orange County Supervisor of Elections said in a news release. Orange County voters can get a preview of their ballot now at ocfelections.com on the Whatโs On My Ballot page. Orange County voters can visit ocfelections.com or call (407) 836-2070 for more information about the upcoming election, requesting a vote-by-mail ballot and more.
Amway Center hosts National Voter Registration Day event
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ The Amway Center played host to a National Voter Registration Day event on Tuesday. Of the 25, Cowles said 22 were Orange County residents and three were from Seminole County. | Gunman shoots 2 teens at skating rink | Michael Jordan forms NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace]Having the voter registration event at the Amway Center encouraged some to come out. He said Orlando Magic player Mo Bamba then started the initiative here and the team reached out to his office. And itโs something Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford said has been important for them as a team.
6 Florida constitutional amendments to be on ballot in November
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. There are six Florida constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot this November. Election officials tell News 6 a lot of these amendments have tricky language and it makes them difficult to understand. Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington said shes seen voters take 45 minutes in past elections, trying to go through the amendments on the ballot. One of the amendments voters will see on the ballot is the Citizenship Requirement to Vote in Florida Elections amendment. She added, the amendment is, just adding words, its not going to change anything if it passes or not.The Florida Division of Elections provided this link to show the six amendments on the November ballot.
Polls open: Election Day arrives in Florida
Polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday for Floridas Primary Election and they wont close until 7 p.m. local time. Florida is a closed primary state, meaning voters can only cast ballots for candidates running for the party in which they are registered. Its Primary Day and election workers are preparing to open the polls for in-person voting during a pandemic. She said she registered to vote the first chance she could and has voted in every election since, usually being in line when polls open on Election Day. As of June 30, Florida had nearly 4.9 million active Republican voters and more than 5.1 million active Democratic voters.
Final preps underway at Orange County elections office ahead of Tuesdays primary
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Final preps are underway this weekend at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office as early voting wraps up this weekend. Poll workers and staff were at the elections office Saturday morning preparing for the primary election day on Tuesday. Cowles said that is because the elections office is also an early voting location. He said you should drop it off at an early voting location by 7 p.m. on Sunday when early voting ends. Early voting ends in Orange and Osceola counties on Sunday, August 16.
Central Florida election officials say USPS is keeping up with mail-in delivery demand
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. With talks of the United States Postal Service receiving funding in reference to mail-in voting delivery, two Central Florida election officials told News 6 they havent noticed any delayed in delivery. Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said his office received a record amount of mail-in ballots than any other primary election in the countys history. [RELATED: 2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of Floridas primary election]"We are very satisfied with the service we are getting from the postal service. Thats what I deal with and the postal employees are bringing me the mail every day, said Hays. Cowles said that 2019 legislation requires Florida counties to offer to drop off boxes at early voting locations as well as the election office.
Heres why 55% of Orange County voters wont see the sheriff, property appraiser & state attorney races on their ballots
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. During this years primary election, hundreds of thousands of Orange County registered voters will not cast their ballots for sheriff, property appraiser, or state attorney. There are two write-in candidates for both the sheriff and property appraiser races, as well as a non-party affiliated candidate running for state attorney, these are now partisan contests and only Democrats can vote. However, Cowles said statistically write-in candidates dont win county, state, or federal races. Weve seen it before, sometimes the write-in candidates will withdraw and then the contest will be over, Cowles said. The primary election day is Tuesday, Aug. 18.
As early voting begins in Orange County, people may notice changes at the polls
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Early voting kicked off in Orange County Monday for Floridas primary election. Orange County residents who decide to participate in early or regular voting will decide on key positions like county commissioner, school board member, state attorney, circuit judge or sheriff. The supervisor of elections for Orange County said if its not a match, voters are notified through a cure affidavit process. In 2014 there were 296,988 early voters and 2018, more than double that number with 661,891 voters that headed to the polls early to cast their vote. Millenials are a key voting block with our Hispanic community.The last day for early voting in Orange County is Aug. 16.
Orange County answers voters questions ahead of 2020 election
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Orange County's supervisor of elections is answering questions about the 2020 elections ahead of a voter registration phone bank on Monday. "Then, there are other requirements where it has to be done on a voter registration form." As with any election year, voters have the option to cast their ballot in person through early voting or on election day. The voter registration phone bank is scheduled for 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29. To call News 6s phone bank on Monday, just dial 407-836-VOTE (8683).
Voter registration remains on track in Orange County, despite COVID-19
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said when you take a look at Orange Countys new registered voter numbers, you can see the impact of COVID-19. The numbers show that April saw 1,564 new registered voters, compared to 4,089 in April of 2016. June 2016 saw 24,467 new registered voters, and as of June 11, Orange County is at 24,519. He said voters will be able to early vote, vote by mail, and head to the polls to cast their ballots. 1 way people vote in Orange County is by early voting.