ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange county voters have something new this election day when it comes to counting ballots. 

What You Need To Know

  • You can now have a behind the scenes look at how American democracy works in action.

  • The livestream only shows how vote by mail ballots are counted 

  • Glen Gilzean, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, hopes they can expand live streaming in the future so you can see how your ballot is tracked in real time

The Orange County Supervisor of Elections office released a ballot processing livestream.

Voters can watch it from the comfort of their homes. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections is turning the page toward the future.

“I see this as an opportunity for more transparency,” Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean said. 

Gilzean has been working hard the last couple of weeks to launch this livestream. He was appointed by Gov. Ron Desantis two weeks ago. 

Since then, he has stayed focused on his goal of increasing transparency. 

“We’re leveraging technology, we’re keeping security paramount, but more importantly, everyone is seeing the whole process unfold. I see this being a model, not only for the state of Florida, but for our country,” Gilzean said. 

This livestream only shows vote-by-mail ballots. Early voting and election day ballots are put directly into the tabulators by voters themselves. 

Gilzean says he’s optimistic about the future. He wants to see more voter turnout. 

“I think it’s an innovative and pioneering effort to see how this works and how the public is receptive to it,” J. Edwin Benton, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, said. 

Benton is a researcher. He says if this pans out, it’s good for American democracy. 

He credits research he did last year that found 38% of Floridians surveyed were not at least “somewhat confident” that national elections in the U.S. are conducted fairly. That’s where this technology, Benton says, can go a long way. 

“For those people who are concerned about the integrity of the casting and counting of ballots, this will be a step in the right direction,” Benton said. 

Even on a busy day like election day, there’s always room to try something new. 

“I want to make sure every Orange County resident knows that when they cast their ballot, they know it counts,” Gilzean said. 

Gilzean goes on to say this livestream will stick around.