Special election ballots displayed wrong name

The Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office admitted a printing error it made on the sample ballot it mailed out for the upcoming special election in Senate District 15 and House District 40, affecting 88,972 voters.

For voters in House District 40, the sample ballot mailed to voters incorrectly listed Travaris McCurdy as the Democratic candidate in the House District 40 race, when the correct and certified Democratic candidate is RaShon Young, the Supervisor of Elections Office said in an Aug. 9 news release.

Young gained 55.44% of voter support in the Democratic special primary election on June 24.  

This error only appears on sample ballots mailed to voters who have not asked for a vote-by-mail ballot, according to the elections office. All vote-by-mail ballots that were dispatched to voters are correct and accurately reflect the certified candidates for the election. 

Voters casting their ballots by mail will not see this error, nor will in-person voters see it when casting ballots at an early voting site or their designated polling place on Election Day.

“The Orange County Supervisor of Elections office takes full responsibility for this mistake,” Blake Summerlin, a spokesperson for the supervisor’s office, said in a news release distributed over the weekend. “We have tracked the error and found it originated in our office during artwork creation for the printing process.”

The office is quickly fixing the error by mailing a “Notice of Printing Error” to all affected voters, along with a corrected sample ballot, Summerlin said.

Affected voters should expect the corrected sample ballot to be delivered prior to early voting, which begins on Aug. 23. 

The Florida Senate District 15 was vacated when Sen. Geraldine Thompson died on Feb. 13 due to complications from knee replacement surgery. She was an educator in the Orange County education system for nearly three decades before serving in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. She won her last elected position as state senator in 2024.

State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis won the Democratic primary on June 24, garnering 5,533 votes, good for almost 43% of the vote in a four-way race. All 102 precincts had reported that night. She will run against Republican Willie Montague in the general special election on Sept. 2.

To run for the Senate seat, Bracy Davis announced her resignation last April as the House District 40 representative, effective Sept. 1. Her legislative aide, Young, ran against former state Rep. McCurdy and won the June 24 Democratic primary to fill the District 40 seat. McCurdy had served as legislative aide to both Thompson and former state Sen. Randolph Bracy, the brother of Bracy Davis.

The western side of state Senate District 15 encompasses Apopka, Lockhart, Clarcona and Ocoee. The Florida Turnpike outlines the district’s southwestern border. I-4 outlines the eastern border, and it crosses the Florida Turnpike just north of the district’s southeastern border. 

For more information on how the sample ballot error occurred, read the Q&A at ocfelections.gov. 

Vote-by mail ballot

The deadline is by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21, for voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

Voters can ask for a vote-by-mail ballot at ocfelections.gov or by contacting the Supervisor of Elections Office by phone at 407-836-8683. 

All vote-by-mail requests have expired after Dec. 31. If a request has not been submitted in 2025, a new one must be made. 

Voters can sign up for BallotTrax at shorturl.at/fc6Uz to receive notification by text or email about the status of their vote-by-mail ballot, from when it’s printed to when it’s accepted. 

Public test of voting equipment

The Supervisor of Elections Office will conduct a public test of voting equipment beginning at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the Supervisor of Elections Office, 119 W. Kaley Street, Orlando.

Early voting

The early voting period will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 23-31 at the following locations: Supervisor of Elections Office, 119 W. Kaley St., Orlando; West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee; Apopka Community Center, 519 S. Central Ave., Apopka; and Eatonville Town Hall, 307 E. Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville.

During the early voting period, residents may vote at any of the listed early voting locations.

Election Day

Polls on Election Day will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 2. If a voter is in line by 7 p.m., they will be allowed to vote. 

Voters choosing to vote on Election Day must do so at their assigned polling place, which they can find online at ocfelections.gov or by phone at 407-836-2070.