Ballot Education Video Produced Through Partnership With Lou Frey Institute, Orange County

A collaboration between the Florida Supervisors of Elections and UCF’s Lou Frey Institute will leave first-time voters feeling a little less overwhelmed when stepping up to the poll.

The videos stem from a law passed July 1, 2021 by the Florida legislature requiring students to show competency in understanding the state’s uniform ballot system. That translated to high school civics courses integrating the ballot system into the existing curriculum to ensure students better understand how Florida’s ballots are constructed.

To make ballot content less overwhelming for students across the state, Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles reached out to the Institute for help.

LFI’s Director of Curriculum Chris Spinale was immediately inspired.

“In all honesty, voting is the biggest responsibility for citizens of America,” said Spinale. “Once you turn eighteen, you’re expected to register and engage. Our project at Lou Frey helps to lay everything out for that moment.”

Spinale and his team have created a series of instructional videos, condensing information about Florida’s ballot system into a mini-series accessible online.

The videos are something Spinale points to as a means of taking the stress off teachers who are expected to teach this newly required material.

“Teachers can use these videos instead of having to design their own, personal lesson around the ballot system,” said Spinale. “Lesson planning can be time-consuming and stressful on its own. We want to take the pressure off teachers while making this information accessible for students for years to come.”

The videos feature a comprehensive breakdown of Florida’s uniform ballot structure for primary and general elections. The goal is to familiarize students with how the ballot looks and what to expect when viewing a poll for the first time.

“I like that our videos lay everything out,” said Spinale. “It helps a pre-voter familiarize themselves with what they’ll do when they step up to the ballot box.”

The videos are live on Lou Frey’s website, as well as 67 Florida election supervisors’ sites. They are completely free and easily accessible.

“Having that familiarity about the layout of the ballot structure helps the voter ahead of time,” said Spinale. “The great thing about these videos is that, since they’re uploaded across the internet, is that they’ll always be available to refer back to.”