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Voters may not be heading to the polls in 2026 for a presidential election, but there are still several key races taking place in Florida, including governor.<\/p>\n
In the Florida governor race<\/a>, there were 47 candidates as of May 11, all fighting for the chance to replace current Gov. Ron DeSantis, who can’t run<\/a> again.<\/p>\n Here’s a breakdown of the state and federal races in 2026, along with important deadlines, including how to check if you’re listed as an active voter in Florida and whether you can vote by mail.<\/p>\n When is the 2026 Florida primary election and key deadlines?<\/p>\n The Florida primary election day will be Aug. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n Here are key deadlines to be aware of:<\/p>\n Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026<\/p>\n Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9-16, 2026<\/p>\n Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026<\/p>\n Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: Aug. 6, 2026<\/p>\n Early voting period (mandatory period): Aug. 8-15, 2026<\/p>\n Counties can expand the early-voting period<\/p>\n Election Day: Aug. 18, 2026<\/p>\n Who are UOCAVA voters?<\/p>\n UOCAVA <\/a>stands for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.<\/p>\n UOCAVA voters are U.S. citizens who are active members of the Uniformed Services the Merchant Marine, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, their eligible family members and U.S. citizens residing outside the United States.<\/p>\n “The act provides the legal basis for these citizens’ absentee voting requirements<\/a> for federal offices,” according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program.<\/a><\/p>\n When is the 2026 Florida general election and key deadlines?<\/p>\n The Florida general election day will be Nov. 3, 2026, two days after we turn clocks back an hour for the end of daylight saving time on Nov. 1.<\/p>\n Here are key deadlines to be aware of:<\/p>\n Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: Sept. 19, 2026<\/p>\n Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: Sept. 24 – Oct. 1, 2026<\/p>\n Deadline to register to vote: Oct. 5, 2026<\/p>\n Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: Oct. 22, 2026<\/p>\n Early voting period (mandatory period): Oct. 24-31, 2026<\/p>\n Counties can expand the early-voting period<\/p>\n Election Day: Nov. 3, 2026<\/p>\n What Florida state, federal offices will be on the 2026 Florida ballot?<\/p>\n According to the Florida Division of Elections, these are the state and federal offices up for election or retention in 2026:<\/p>\n See the lists of candidates who have registered<\/a> to run in each of the races at the Florida Division of Elections website.<\/p>\n Federal offices<\/p>\n U.S. Senate (one of two seats)<\/p>\n U.S. House (all districts)<\/p>\n Florida state offices<\/p>\n Commissioner of agriculture<\/p>\n State senator (even-numbered districts)<\/p>\n State representative (all districts)<\/p>\n State attorney (20th Judicial Circuit)<\/p>\n Public defender (20th Judicial Circuit)<\/p>\n Judicial retention (nonpartisan)<\/p>\n Justices, Supreme Court of Florida (those whose terms expire January 2027)<\/p>\n Judges, District Courts of Appeal (those whose terms expire January 2027)<\/p>\n Circuit judges (nonpartisan)<\/p>\n Those whose terms expire January 2027<\/p>\n County court judges (nonpartisan)<\/p>\n Those whose terms expire January 2027<\/p>\n How to check if you’re an active registered voter in Florida?<\/p>\n To check you’re an active registered voter in Florida, go to the Florida Department of State’s Voter Information Lookup <\/a>website.<\/p>\n You’ll need to enter:<\/p>\n If you’re listed as an active voter, you are eligble to vote.<\/p>\n Can I still vote by mail in Florida?<\/p>\n Yes, but you’ll need to make a request to vote by mail <\/a>to the Supervisor of Elections Office in the county where you live:<\/p>\n Use Form DS-DE 160 <\/a>(Statewide Vote-by-Mail ballot Request Form) and return it via mail, online, fax, or as scanned attachment to an email. For online request submission, visit the state’s webpage<\/a> for county specific links)<\/p>\n A request must include:<\/a><\/p>\n The voter\u2019s date of birth,<\/p>\n The voter\u2019s address (A signed written request is required if the address is different that the address on file. An exception exists for absent uniformed service voter or an overseas voter seeking a vote-by-mail ballot).<\/p>\n The voter\u2019s Florida driver license, Florida identification card, or last four digits of the voter’s social security number, whichever may be verified in the supervisor\u2019s records, and<\/p>\n The voter\u2019s signature (if the request is written).<\/p>\n Who can ask for a vote-by-mail ballot in Florida?<\/p>\n The following persons can request a vote-by-mail ballot<\/a> for a voter, according to the Florida Division of Elections:<\/p>\n The voter’s immediate family member (i.e., voter\u2019s spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling),<\/p>\n The voter\u2019s spouse’s parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling<\/p>\n The voter\u2019s legal guardian, or<\/p>\n A designee for a voter with a disability.<\/p>\n What’s the deadline in Florida to ask for a vote-by-mail ballot?<\/p>\n The deadline to request that a ballot be mailed is no later than 5 p.m. on the 12th day before the election.<\/p>\n In 2026, the deadlines to ask for a vote-by-mail ballot <\/a>are:<\/p>\n Primary election: Aug. 6, 2026<\/p>\n General election: Oct. 22, 2026<\/p>\n Is Ron DeSantis running for governor again?<\/p>\n No.<\/p>\n Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot run again for governor because he has already served two consecutive terms.<\/p>\n \u27a4 Ron DeSantis leaves office soon. What could he do next?<\/a><\/p>\n No one can run for three terms in a row, according to Article IV of the Florida Constitution<\/a>.<\/p>\n DeSantis leaves the Florida governor’s mansion on Jan. 5, 2027.<\/p>\n Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida\u2019s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https:\/\/floridatoday.com\/newsletters.<\/p>\n