ORLANDO, Fla. – The retirement of Orange County’s longtime supervisor of elections has Democrats fearing whomever Gov. DeSantis will put in the office.
Elections Supervisor Bill Cowles announced Friday that he would retire in January after the special election for Florida House District 35.
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Within hours of the announcement, county Democrats announced the formation of an election protection committee to monitor election-related activities throughout 2024. It’s the first time the county party has had such a committee.
Orange County Democratic Party Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago described Cowles, a Democrat, as a fair and nonpartisan administrator for his office, which he was first elected to in 1996. Vilchez Santiago says he is hoping the governor will appoint someone experienced in elections, preferably someone already working in from Cowles’ office.
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But they intend to be prepared if that is not the case.
“The governor’s appointments do not reflect the voters of the communities that the appointee needs to represent,” he said.
The Democrats are particularly concerned about DeSantis appointing a “highly partisan” elections supervisor would cut funding or programs for election education, and cut or change early voting locations and election day precinct locations.
Vilchez Santiago said the committee will have other goals as well — increasing the presence of poll watchers throughout the county to make sure there is a rapid response to any issues. The Democrats are hoping to recruit hundreds of volunteers for this role. The committee will also make sure the party has a presence at canvassing board meetings and vote-by-mail viewings.
Also, if any registered Democrats have a vote-by-mail ballot that is challenged, the committee will be able to find those people and make sure their ballot is cured.
All these activities are legal under Florida law. Other political parties do the same, but Democrats are looking to expand these efforts.
Vilchez Santiago told News 6 the committee was something the party had been planning for a couple of months, but Cowles’ announcement accelerated their plans. The Democrats are concerned by recent DeSantis appointments across the state that replaced officials with appointees that align more closely to DeSantis’ ideals.
“I do think the news that came out today from Supervisor Cowles accelerated that plan,” Vilchez Santiago said. “Having seen who Gov. DeSantis has appointed across the state, we are concerned about that role. So we want to have something in place so we can protect the democratic process and the voters in the county.”
It’s not known yet when DeSantis will appoint Cowles’ replacement.
As for 2024 elections, in addition to the Jan. 16 special election for Florida House District 35, there is the presidential preference primary on March 19, which is also the date for nine municipal elections throughout the county. There is also the Florida primary in August and the November general election.
To make sure you are registered to vote, and to request a vote-by-mail ballot for all elections in 2024, head to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office website.
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