Following Tuesday's primary election, one Orange County race remains too close to call.
Incumbent Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson is only five votes ahead of her challenger, Austin Arthur. That narrow margin automatically triggers a machine recount, which is required whenever a candidate loses by a half-percent or less of the total votes cast, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
Now a machine recount is slated for 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to the county’s supervisor of elections office. But first comes a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline to submit any vote-by-mail cure affidavits, which voters can fill out if they either didn’t sign their mail-in ballot, or their ballot signature doesn’t match what’s on file.
Unofficial county results showed Wednesday that while most of Arthur’s votes were cast in-person on Election Day, most of Wilson’s were cast by mail.
But Wilson said this year’s relatively lower vote-by-mail turnout raises concerns for her about voter suppression, prompted by new voting restrictions Florida enacted in 2021.
“Going into 2020, I knew how many ballots had already come in by mail and early voting, which gave me a sense of confidence,” Wilson said. “I knew yesterday that we were nowhere near that number. And then, understanding Election Day challenges for working folks, I was really worried.”
One of Wilson’s biggest concerns is the circa-2021 requirement for Florida voters to apply to vote by mail more often.
“All those people who were expecting their mail-in ballot to come — and we're talking about elderly people, or people who have mobility challenges — who were unable to vote [Tuesday], because they didn't realize until this past week that they didn't get their ballot,” Wilson said. “They just fell off the rolls, because of the new law.”
Despite her ultra-thin lead, Wilson said Wednesday she was feeling optimistic and eager to return to work, ahead of a recount she wants to see done “transparently and successfully.”
"When you have an election that is five votes away, you know that your voice is important."Austin Arthur
For his part, Arthur said Wednesday he felt energized by what he characterized as his team’s “incredible” campaign for the District 1 seat — and acknowledged his surprise about just how close the initial results were.
But Arthur said he thinks the tight margin speaks more to voters’ view of the candidates themselves than the issues they campaigned on.
“I don't think people are divided on the issues,” Arthur said. “In the aggregate, I feel like the residents feel strongly that we need to slow the growth in West Orange County. We need to have an infrastructure-first mindset.”
Arthur said he was feeling confident he’d be the winning candidate after Friday’s recount and once all outstanding provisional and vote-by-mail ballots are cured. The candidates’ tight margin underscores why voting in itself is so important, he said.
“This is why voting matters,” Arthur said. “Our republic depends on people studying their ballots and getting out to vote. When you have an election that is five votes away, you know that your voice is important.”
County-wide, 175 vote-by-mail ballots can still be cured for this election, 42 of which would count for District 1, according to Orange County’s Supervisor of Elections Office.
