In an effort to streamline the voting process in Orange County, Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean has announced the implementation of new express voting sites aimed at reducing wait times for early voters. According to ClickOrlando, these sites will begin operating tomorrow, with the Valencia College Winter Park Campus serving as the first "express site" to assist overflow from the Winter Park Library polling location.
The express sites are designed to act as an extension of existing voting locations, Gilzean explained, as per ClickOrlando, "I want to encourage voters to take advantage of early voting. I said it multiple times: we plan for back-to-school, we plan for a storm, you have to plan to vote." He emphasized the need for such locations by sharing voter concerns over the long wait times, with anecdotal accounts of voters waiting as long as an hour and a half in line. The express sites will not be included on the official SOE list of early voting sites, the pursuit is on to have at least three express sites running, with aspirations of up to ten dependent on coordination with the county.
Orange County has seen nearly 80,000 early in-person votes cast so far, with equivalent numbers reported for mail-in ballots. The new express sites could reduce the time voters spend in line to a mere 15 to 30 minutes, Glen Gilzean hopes. "The staff is ready, we have the equipment, we have the people ready to go," Gilzean said, signifying preparedness on the part of election organizers while they await the final green light from the county, as reported by WFTV.
Moreover, an interactive map was launched to display real-time wait times at the county's early voting locations, a tool that aims to facilitate smoother voting experiences for Orange County residents. Gilzean told WFTV, "we plan for back to school, we plan for a storm, you have to plan to vote." Early voting will continue through November 3rd from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and residents can find the wait time map on the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website.
