ORLANDO, Fla. – After 34 years and 103 election days highlighted by the 2000 vote recount that decided America’s 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.
“It’s just amazing,” Cowles told News 6. “And those numbers don’t even reflect the preparation, but also the time afterwards, the ones that had to be recounted afterwards.”
Cowles was elected supervisor in 1996 and never looked back, having been elected and re-elected by county voters for the last 27 years.
His final election day assignment came just a few weeks ago, a special election in State House District 35 won by Democrat Tom Keen over Republican Erika Booth.
Now as he walks away from the job, there is another potential footnote, this time, featuring Florida’s Republican presidential primary election set for March 19.
With former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley the last remaining candidates on the 2024 GOP primary ballot, there is speculation Haley may suspend her campaign following the primary in South Carolina next month.
“People are asking what happens before Super Tuesday the week before Florida and maybe all the candidates are out except maybe one?” Cowles asked, “What does that mean for all the preparation work, poll workers, training poll workers, vote by mails will already be out, early voting will be open in most counties?”
Cowles said it is not clear if the GOP will decide to drop the remaining primaries and award state delegates to the last remaining candidate, at this point he said, it is all speculative but he said it is the taxpayers that foot the bill for the primary.
He is convinced the municipal races and issues on those ballots will be held as scheduled and he assured News 6 the vote tabulations will be 100% accurate, backed by “paper ballots and the checks and balances” in place.
“I believe the vote is safe,” he said. “The processes and procedures are in play to make sure the votes are accurate when we release them and when we certify them.”
Cowles told me there were only two times he ran unopposed, the last was in 2020, the first is part of American election history.
“I didn’t have an opponent in the 2000 presidential election,” he recalled. “I think God was saying to give him a candidate or give him hell.”
In the end, George W. Bush was elected our 34th president, defeating Democrat Al Gore.
Cowles’ understated personality and ability to build consensus proved to be the perfect formula for the job.
In 1997 he conducted the first countywide mail ballot election, in 1999 Cowles established the Voter Registration Helpline with local media including WKMG-TV, an important asset for Orange County residents to navigate the voter registration process.
Cowles said he opposes the current proposal by state lawmakers to restructure the protocol for vote by mail to include an excuse for each election.
“The bill in Tallahassee is taking us backwards,” he said. “(The current law) is good for Central Florida because we are a service industry community, people don’t work a Monday through Friday 8-5 p.m. job with Tuesday time off to go vote.”
Cowles told News 6 his team will be able to handle the upcoming primary and general elections shored by state-of-the-art equipment and years of experience adjusting to change.
He will not endorse a candidate for his office.
Cowles tells me retirement feels right, he will be moving to Brevard County to be closer to his children and grandchildren.
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