The Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office is facing backlash over its decision to ditch the normal practice of mailing sample ballots to in-person voters for the 2026 primary election.
The office, with seemingly no notice, opted instead to send voters an informational mailer featuring a digital QR code where voters could access candidate information online only, sparking criticism and confusion. The Orange County chapter of the League of Women Voters contacted the elections office to share their concerns.
“With a mission to empower voters and defend democracy, the League of Women Voters of Orange County has serious concerns regarding the decision to discontinue automatically mailing sample ballots to all Orange County voters,” Kathy Schmitz, co-president of the local League of Women Voters chapter, told Orlando Weekly.
“Relying solely on online access — or requiring voters to specifically request a mailed copy — inconveniences younger voters, and disproportionately disadvantages older residents and lower-income individuals who may lack reliable internet access or home printers,” she explained. “Ultimately, this decision threatens to hinder thoughtful, informed voting for those who need accessibility support the most.”
Other advocates have similarly contacted the elections office, urging them to reverse course. And the feedback has evidently been so cutting that the office confirmed it will bring back print sample ballots for the November general election.
“The primary gave us an opportunity to introduce a new way of accessing ballot information, and the feedback we’ve received has reinforced the value of providing both formats,” Supervisor of Elections Office spokesperson Blake Summerlin told Orlando Weekly in a statement.
Early voting for the primary election already kicked off last week and will last through Sunday, Aug. 16. Primary election day is Aug. 18, 2026.
What’s the problem?
Normally, the Supervisor of Elections Office will automatically send a sample ballot to in-person voters ahead of an election. This allows voters to have a physical list of the candidates or ballot measures that will show up on their actual ballot ahead of time.
This print copy of a sample ballot can be particularly helpful for voters who are not particularly tech-savvy, as well as voters who lack a home computer or a phone that’s capable of accessing the internet.
Eugenia “Jeannie” Economos of the Farmworker Association of Florida — a grassroots group that advocates for the health, safety, and rights of agricultural workers — told Orlando Weekly she is personally on a “war path” to address the election office’s decision to ditch the paper sample ballots.
“This is a disservice to this community, it compromises this election, and it disenfranchises hundreds, if not thousands, of people,” she argued.
Summerlin told the Weekly that the move away from print sample ballots was, in part, a cost-cutting strategy. “We have a responsibility to be thoughtful stewards of taxpayer resources,” he said in an email. He added, however, that it also served as an effort by the office to “expand voter outreach, provide personalized and current ballot information, and use multiple ways of communicating with voters.”
Economos, who serves as a pesticide safety environmental health coordinator for the farmworkers group, primarily works with older Black and Haitian people in the agricultural industry. She’s 73 years old herself and said many of the people she works with don’t know how to use QR codes, or lack the technology necessary to actually scan them.
One older person she spoke to over the weekend told her they had never heard of a QR code before. Others also didn’t know what QR codes were, or how to access them. “And even if they did, what are they supposed to do with it?” Economos asked. “They don’t have a computer. They don’t have a printer. How are they supposed to print it out?”
It’s common for voters to also bring their sample ballots to their polling locations, too, so they can have ready access to the list of candidates they wish to cast their ballots for.
“We recognize that technology is not the right tool for every voter,” Summerlin acknowledged, adding that the elections office has been “actively engaging” with senior communities and assisted living facilities, providing voter education and outreach on the voting process.
Still, even after widespread criticism, the elections office defended its digital sample ballot system. “Thousands of voters have utilized it during this primary,” Summerlin stated. “It provides personalized ballot information and allows us to reflect changes that may occur after printed materials are produced.”
He carefully acknowledged the shortcomings. “What we have learned is that it works best as an additional option, rather than as a replacement for the printed sample ballot that many voters value.”
Making a comeback
Summerlin confirmed that the elections office will resume the normal practice of sending print sample ballots to Orange County voters for the November general election.
He said that voters can also still request a print sample ballot for the 2026 primary by calling the elections office at 407-836-2070 or by emailing sampleballot@voteorangefl.gov.
Primary election sample ballots are also available at Orange County libraries, the tax collector’s office, and the Supervisor of Elections office locations. “We are also working with other local government agencies to offer increased availability,” he added.
Economos believes this isn’t good enough, arguing it could still disenfranchise voters in the primary who rely on the normal practice of receiving their print sample ballot in the mail.
“We have primary elections so that people can voice who they want to see in the general election,” she said. “That is an inadequate answer, and it is a cop-out.”
