Orange County voters who normally use a paper sample ballot to prepare for Election Day will not find one automatically arriving in the mailbox this cycle. Instead, the county is steering in-person voters toward QR codes, online ballot lookups or a paper copy they request themselves as early voting gets underway.
The policy covers voters who did not request a vote-by-mail ballot for the Aug. 18 primary, according to a Orlando Sentinel report. The QR-code approach first appeared in Orange County mailboxes during a 2025 special election and has now been expanded, while Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties plan to mail sample ballots to voters.
The Orange County Supervisor of Elections says personalized sample ballots are available online and are matched to a voter’s address, precinct, districts and party affiliation. Voters can use the office’s sample ballot page to check their information or browse ballots by address and precinct.
The digital workaround is raising access concerns, particularly for voters who do not routinely use smartphones or printers. Kathy Schmitz, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Orange County, told the Sentinel that the change could create extra burdens for older, younger and lower-income voters; paper copies can still be requested through the QR code or by calling 407-836-2070.
Florida Law Allows Flexibility, But Access Concerns Remain
Florida Statute 101.20 requires supervisors to make sample ballots available before an election, but it allows publication in a newspaper, electronic delivery to voters who opt in or mailing when the other options do not apply. The Florida Legislature’s statute gives counties flexibility on delivery, even though that flexibility does not settle the debate over who can realistically access a digital ballot.
The change arrives after Orange County completed redistricting and re-precincting ahead of the 2026 election cycle. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections says new voter information cards were mailed to active voters so they could verify their registration, districts and polling locations.
What Orange County Voters Need To Know
Orange County’s election center lists Thursday at 5 p.m. as the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the primary. The office’s homepage says early voting is open through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
