Elections & Voting
Florida’s 2026 primary election is under way Tuesday, with voters choosing party nominees for governor, Congress and state and local offices. The Republican governor field includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and businessman James Fishback. Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly is seeking the Democratic nomination. Those names draw attention, but the ballot varies by county and precinct. A voter should use the sample ballot from the county supervisor of elections, not a viral slate card, to know which contests actually appear.
Florida uses a closed-primary system. A voter generally receives the ballot of the party listed on the voter-registration record, while nonpartisan contests and universal-primary contests may be open more broadly. That means registration status is part of the election mechanism, not a detail that can be changed at check-in. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Anyone in line when the polls close is entitled to vote.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the county supervisor by 7 p.m. Tuesday; a postmark does not satisfy the deadline. Voters casting ballots in person are asked for a valid photo-and-signature identification. Someone without acceptable identification may cast a provisional ballot and then follow the county’s cure instructions. Those rules help explain why the number of ballots counted after Election Night may change without indicating anything improper.
The first posted totals are unofficial. Counties typically report vote-by-mail and early-voting results before all Election Day precincts are complete, so the order of reporting can move margins sharply. County canvassing boards review provisional ballots, duplications, signature cures and machine totals before certifying county returns. The state canvassing commission later certifies statewide results. A media projection, candidate concession or lead on a dashboard is not the legal act that selects a nominee.
The Florida Division of Elections confirms the date and deadlines, while Associated Press reporting supplies the statewide candidate context. Confirmed today: polls are open and ballots are being cast. Unknown until counting advances: turnout, the final margins and whether any contest triggers additional review. My tally board has three columns—cast, reported and certified. Keep them separate tonight. The responsible question is not only who leads the first update, but how many expected votes remain and which counties have yet to report. Compare each update with expected ballots, note the reporting mode and resist turning a temporary margin into a certified fact.
Sources
- Florida Division of Elections — Election Dates for 2026 (08-18-2026)
- Florida Division of Elections — Vote-by-Mail (08-18-2026)
- Associated Press — What to know about Florida’s 2026 primary elections (08-18-2026)