When is the Primary Election?

• The 2026 Florida Primary Election is held 11 weeks before the General Election. Eligible voters can vote-by-mail (absentee), vote during early voting, or vote at the polls on Election Day. Election Day is August 18, 2026.

Who can vote in the Primary Election?

• Florida is a closed primary state. In the Primary Election, only voters registered with one of Florida’s political parties may vote for their party’s nominee(s) or candidates for a particular office.
  
  However, all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation or no affiliation, may vote in a Primary Election for races in their county in which all nominees have the same party affiliation and the winner would face no opposition in the General Election, for nonpartisan races (e.g., judicial and school board), and for local issues.

Can I change my party affiliation for the Primary Election?

• The deadline for voters to update their party affiliation for the 2026 Primary Election was July 20, 2026. For more information on voter registration in Florida, please visit the Division of Elections website.

What happens if a party candidate officially withdraws, passes away, or is ordered removed from the ballot?

• If a candidate withdraws, passes away, or is ordered removed from the ballot after the ballots have already been printed, the name remains on the ballot. In that instance, the Supervisor of Elections will post withdrawal notices in the voters' polling booths at the polling location and include a notice with all vote-by-mail ballots subsequently prepared after the notice of withdrawal, death, or court order.
  
  However, if you have already cast your ballot, you will not be able to cast another one.

What does voter turnout mean?

• Voter turnout refers to the percentage of eligible registered voters who cast a ballot in the election. Book Closing Reports show the total number of active registered voters as of the registration deadline of July 20, 2026. If a county does not have a county-wide nonpartisan or universal primary contest on their Primary Ballot, then not every active registered voter in that county will be eligible to vote in the Primary. Therefore, the number of eligible voters in a Primary is often less than the total registered voters reported in book closing.