Floridians will head to the polls in the coming months to elect a new governor, Congress members and an attorney general, along with county officials.
The primary elections, scheduled for Aug. 18, will determine which candidates from each party will appear on the November ballot.
Only voters registered with a particular political party can vote in that party’s primary election, but all registered voters may vote in the Nov. 3 election.
The Naples Daily News interviewed Collier County Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier about what voters need to know before heading to the polls this year.
2026 elections: Important details voters should know
“Voters should really be ensuring that their name is up to date, their address is current, that the political party we have on file is the political party they wish to belong to for this upcoming election cycle,” Blazier said.
She also urged voters to cast their ballots in the primary election this August during which several local elections may be decided, including school board, county commission and judicial seats.
“It’s just important for voters to understand that a lot of their local representation is actually decided during a primary election,” she said. “Vote in August, don’t just vote in November.”
How to register to vote in Collier County
Floridians who wish to vote in a primary have until July 20 to register to vote, or until that date to change their party affiliation, if they are already registered.
Voters can check to see if they are registered and active on the Florida Division of Elections website using the Voter Information Lookup tool.
Collier County residents can register to vote on the Supervisor of Elections website until Oct. 5 for the general election.
How to vote in person in Collier County
Registered Collier County residents can vote in-person on Aug. 18 for the primary or Nov. 3 for the general election from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can also vote early from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the primary or Oct. 22 to Oct. 31 for the general election from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where is early voting in Collier County?
How to vote by mail in Collier County
Voting by mail, formerly called absentee voting, is also an option in Florida, and no longer requires a valid excuse.
Ballots must be requested by 5 p.m. on Aug. 6 for the primary, or Oct. 22 for the general election.
The Supervisor of Elections’ office begins mailing ballots to those who requested them about 40 days before each election, and will continue mailing newly requested ballots every business day.
The first domestic vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to be sent out on July 9 for the primary and Sept. 24, pending any extenuating circumstances, according to the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Communications Director Trish Robertson.
Changes in mail-in ballots: What to know
Florida voters will see a few changes in voting procedures and laws for the 2026 election cycle that will see the election of a new governor as Governor Ron DeSantis closes out his eight-year tenure as Florida’s governor.
Among those changes is a new law requiring Floridians who vote by mail to re-request mail-in ballots, even if they voted by mail in the 2024 general election.
“It’s something that a lot of voters are still not aware of,” Blazier said. “They have to proactively, either call the office, send an email, go online, and actually request a vote-by-mail ballot.”
Residents of Collier County can request their mail-in ballots on the Collier County Supervisor of Elections website, by phone, mail or in person.
The voter, an immediate family member, a legal guardian or designated person for a voter with a disability, can request the voter’s Vote-by-Mail ballot for any election as long as the requester has the correct documentation for the voter and themselves.
The request form requires the voter’s Florida driver’s license, Florida identification card or last four digits of his or her social security number.
The ballots can be picked up at a specified location listed on the supervisor of elections website, or mailed to a current address.
All ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m., or a satellite office by 6 p.m., on election day through mail, express mail, or in-person.
Ballots can also be turned in at any of the early-voting polling locations in a secure ballot intake station during the early voting periods for each election. However, polling places can’t accept a mail-in ballot on the scheduled election day.
What to bring to the polls
The Florida legislature’s statewide version of the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship documentation for in-person voters in Florida, does not take effect until January 2027 and will not impact the November midterms.
However, in accordance with current Florida law, voters must still bring an approved and non-expired picture ID with them to vote in-person, including:
You can reach Naples Daily News reporter Alexa Ryan at Alexa.Ryan@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier County elections 2026: What voters should know
Reporting by Alexa Ryan, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexa Ryan, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
