PANAMA CITY ― As of this week, Bay County voters are locked in for the upcoming primary elections.
Nina Ward, supervisor of elections for Bay County, said July 20 was the deadline in Florida to register to vote or change your party affiliation for the 2026 primary elections. They are scheduled for Aug. 18, with multiple offices up for election in Bay County. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Aug. 6. at 5 p.m.
“If you’re maybe new to Florida or maybe never registered to vote, you can still register to vote so you’re ready for the November election, but the deadline for August has passed,” Ward said. “It (still) is not too late for people to update their information. If they just have an address change or something like that, they can call our office and still get that done.”
Candidates on the ballot for the primary elections
Besides primaries for state and national office, the Bay County Supervisor of Elections’ website shows the following races will be on the primary ballot on Aug. 18. Because the local races are nonpartisan, the elections are open to all voters:
Poll worker training
Ward noted her office also is actively training its election workers. They go through both online and in-person training to make sure they are comfortable overseeing the polls. They also get practice going through different scenarios they might face on election day.
All workers are trained before every election.
For Ward, it’s crucial for residents to get out and express their right to vote in every election, no matter if it’s a primary, general or local election.
“We normally see lower turnouts in the primary, but I encourage everybody to show up and vote no matter what your party is. You have something to vote on in this August primary.”
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Your guide to the 2026 primary elections in Bay County
Reporting by Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald | USA TODAY Network
