ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The sign at the entrance to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office is still partially made of construction paper. Inside, Karen Castor Dentel’s staff closed her door for the first time as she prepared for her interview – and promptly got everyone in the office stuck when it refused to open again.
Such is the way at the office as it recovers from the chaotic regime of her predecessor and a scandal that consumed the oxygen in the county for weeks last fall. At times, payroll was uncertain as leaders worked to recover $5 million that Glen Gilzean was accused of spending on pet projects instead of the core needs.
When WFTV sat down with Castor Dentel last Tuesday, she was proudly able to announce that her office had finished paying off the last of the overdue bills and paid its poll workers on the day of the election.
She quickly got about to discussing the priorities and improvement she promised voters but had to delay while getting her office organized.
“We’ve got to find new ways to connect with people,” she said.
One of Castor Dentel’s biggest priorities for the upcoming year include opening six new early voting sites to avoid the long lines the county saw in the 2024 election.
She said the locations have not been chosen, but they’re scouting places that are both ADA accessible and have ample parking.
“I saw so many people slowing down, looking like they were going to come vote, but then seeing the line, just kept driving,” she said. “We don’t want to turn away any voters.”
She’s also focused on getting voters registered. Her plans include opening a satellite office inside the Tax Collector’s office at the West Oaks Mall in Ocoee where people can register to vote and get information about upcoming elections.
She also spoke about a proposal to create a “Vote-Mobile,” a truck that serves as a rolling billboard for the office with QR codes on the sides they can take to events and parades.
“You can imagine, if you’re the Vote Mobile is in a parade going down the street, and people are sitting there. They can get the QR code while they’re sitting there and update their voter registration right there -- right there -- while they’re sitting on the sidewalk,” she said.
That, she said, would address the challenge created by the new state law that resets mail-in voting requests every two years. Currently, just 10% of the 300,000 voters who received mail-in ballots in November have renewed those requests.
One of her ideas to connect with voters has already been implemented. She partnered with OCPS and the League of Women Voters this past spring to attend each school’s senior check out day, which gave her office a chance to capture the county’s youngest civic participants.
Her agenda also contains more far-out items. One is to upgrade security measures and take over responsibilities as the Department of Homeland Security continues to cut back under President Trump.
Another is to find a new office space. She said her workers need about three times more square footage and their current majority-warehouse setup does not work. Their buildings are also old and for sale.
Finally, she reminded voters that there were elections in progress for senate and house seats in Tallahassee.
“It’s not too late to ask for your vote by mail ballot,” she said, mentioning an August 21 deadline and four early voting sites. “Election Day is September 2, which falls the day after Labor Day weekend. We would love it if people didn’t skip out on this election.”
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