Though his name won’t be on the ballot,

Democrat Eddy Dominguez will face Republican Bobby Olszewski in the special election for state house District 44 in west Orange on Tuesday.

The special election for state House District 44 features a rare twist in politics – a vote for one of the two candidates turns out to be a vote for someone else.

Eddy Dominguez is the Democrat facing Republican Bobby Olszewski in the race to succeed former Republican state Rep. Eric Eisnaugle, who resigned to become a judge.

But all ballots for early voting, which continues until today, and for Election Day on Tuesday contain the name Paul Chandler, the Democrats’ original candidate. Chandler quit the race last month after a lawsuit challenging his eligibility, but after tussling with his own party, his withdrawal came after the ballot-printing deadline.

So a vote for Chandler will be counted as one for Dominguez.

“That’s just one of so many different stumbling blocks coming up,” said Dominguez, a human resources executive from Dr. Phillips who turns 38 today. “But it doesn’t hurt me, I’m a party outsider. My opponent ran for many political offices and people recognize his name. I’m not missing out on name recognition – I never had it to begin with.”

Only once in recent memory has there been a similar situation, said Bill Cowles, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, though that probably worked in the new candidate’s favor. In 2012, votes for longtime Tax Collector Earl K. Wood went to Scott Randolph after Wood died a month before the election.

Olszewski, 39, a former Winter Garden commissioner, has tried to keep clear of the drama on the Democratic side.

“I’m always focused on running our race,” Olszewski said. “I have no control over what the opposition does.”

District 44, which includes parts of west Orange County including Windermere and the Walt Disney World area, has long been represented by Republicans in the state House. But the district voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016.

Both Dominguez and Olszewski have positions outside the platforms of their parties, with Dominguez more supportive of gun rights than most Democrats and Olszewski calling for stricter standards on private schools and public charter schools.

“It’s important people do have a choice,” Olszewski said. “But we have to make sure the standards are the same and everyone’s on the same playing field when it comes to accountability in education.”

Dominguez called the public school system “fantastic, and we need to double down on the Orange County Public

Schools with fair pay for teachers. They’re underpaid, and something needs to change right away.” He also called for equal standards for all schools.

Regarding the failed bills in the Legislature this year that would have allowed open carry of firearms and allowed guns on college campuses, Dominguez said more study needed to take place of states where open carry is permitted.

“I don’t think guns are the root of the problem,” Dominguez said. “If at the end of the day, someone wants to hurt someone, you don’t need access to a gun.”

Olszewski, meanwhile, said he supports the Second Amendment and would back both open carry and guns on campus.

On the Visit Florida controversy, in which Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran battled over taxpayer funding for the state tourism agency before cutting a deal requiring more transparency, Olszewski was firmly on the side of fully funding the agency.

“As a representative of District 44, there is no more critical industry than tourism and hospitality,” Olszewski said. “At the same time, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with transparency. … Any time public money is being used, the public has a right to know.”

Dominguez called tourism and hospitality “the revenuegenerating parts of the economy, which are so essential they need special attention, and as much funding and support as possible.”

He added that that kind of “squabbling brinksmanship has no place dealing with an issue so crucial to the economy.”

The two are split on the question of whether Medicaid should be expanded in Florida, with Olszewski opposed and Dominguez in favor.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mail-in ballots must be mailed or dropped off at early voting sites no later than today. For more information on early voting and Election Day polling places, go to www.ocfelections.com.