Early Voting Opens Across Florida for the 2026 General Election: Dates, Deadlines and What to Bring

The 2026 general election effectively starts today in Florida. Early voting sites open Monday, October 19, across much of the state — from Tampa Bay and South Florida to the Panhandle and North Central Florida — giving registered voters up to two weeks to cast a ballot ahead of Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Because Florida lets each county set its own early voting calendar within state rules, the exact dates depend on where you live, and the differences matter.

When early voting runs, county by county

Florida's mandatory early voting period runs Saturday, October 24 through Saturday, October 31, but supervisors of elections may open as early as the 15th day before the election — Monday, October 19 — and may run through Sunday, November 1. Many of the state's largest counties are taking the full window. In Tampa Bay, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota counties vote early from October 19 through November 1, Pasco County from October 19 through October 31, and Manatee County beginning October 19, while Hernando and Citrus counties open October 22 and run through October 31. In South Florida, Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties all begin October 19 and run through November 1. Brevard County votes October 19 through October 31 (weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Escambia County in the Panhandle runs October 19 through October 31, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Alachua County runs October 19 through November 1, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at eight locations.

Not everywhere starts Monday. Duval County — Jacksonville — opens Tuesday, October 20, with more than 20 voting sites, and St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties follow. On the Treasure Coast, Indian River and St. Lucie counties begin October 19 while Martin County opens Wednesday, October 21. Hours vary by county as well: Pasco and Pinellas run long days, in some listings 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., while other counties keep shorter schedules. The safe move is to check your county supervisor of elections' site for your locations and hours before you go — and if you are voting early, remember the key flexibility rule: during early voting, you can vote at any early voting site in your county, near work, school or home. On Election Day itself, that flexibility disappears and you must vote at your assigned precinct.

The deadlines still ahead of you

Two dates on the calendar have already passed or are about to. The deadline to register to vote in this election was October 5 — if you are not registered, early voting is not available to you this cycle. The next hard deadline is Thursday, October 22: the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot. Mail voting is already a major part of this election: nearly 1.5 million mail-in ballots have been sent out to Florida voters, according to figures from the News Service of Florida reported by the Pensacola News Journal — roughly 660,000 to registered Democrats, about 485,000 to registered Republicans and about 287,000 to voters registered with a minor party or no party affiliation. If you already have a mail ballot, you do not have to mail it back: you can drop it off at any early voting location in your county during early voting hours.

What to bring

Florida requires voters checking in to present one or two forms of valid, current identification that include a photo and a signature. Under Florida Statutes section 101.043, acceptable photo IDs include a Florida driver license, a Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a U.S. passport or passport card, a debit or credit card, military ID, student ID, a retirement center ID, a neighborhood association ID, public assistance ID, a Veteran Health ID card, a Florida concealed weapon license, and an employee ID card issued by a federal, state, county or municipal government entity. If your photo ID does not have your signature, you must show a second ID that does. And if you arrive without acceptable ID, you are not turned away: you can still vote using a provisional ballot, which election officials review to determine whether it counts. One rule change to know for the future: starting next year, proof of citizenship will be required to register to vote or update a registration in Florida — but for this election, photo ID at check-in is the requirement.

Why the next two weeks will be watched so closely

Florida's ballot carries the state's biggest races, including governor and U.S. Senate, along with Amendment 3. Political analyst Dr. Susan MacManus told Tampa Bay's ABC Action News that early voting deserves the attention it gets: far more people vote in person early than vote by mail or even on Election Day. 'So this is why this whole couple weeks of early voting is so exciting and at the same time so scary for the candidates and the parties but of interest to everybody,' MacManus said. Turnout patterns over the next two weeks — which counties run hot, and which parties' voters show up early — will be the first hard data of the 2026 cycle in one of America's most closely watched states. Polls close on the early voting era at each county's listed end date; the election itself concludes on Tuesday, November 3. For continuing elections coverage, see our latest news.