Early voting increases access to the ballot, allowing more people to participate in the democratic process on a schedule that works for them. It helps reduce long lines and congestion on Election Day, making voting more efficient and accessible. By spreading out the voting period, early voting also gives officials more time to identify and address potential issues that may arise over the course of the voting period.

What is early voting?

Early voting is a period designated by Florida law during which registered voters in a county may vote in person at any early voting site within their county during operating hours or return their vote-by-mail ballot to a secure ballot intake station.

During in-person early voting, voters have to present proper identification, as if they were voting on Election Day. You can find a list of acceptable forms in this resource created by VoteRiders.

Who can vote early?

All registered voters in a county are eligible to vote early during the county’s specific early voting schedule.

When can you vote early?

Schedules vary by county, but for elections involving state and federal races, all counties must offer early voting options for eight days, starting on the tenth day before Election Day and ending on the third day before Election Day (Saturday through Saturday before election day), for 8 to 12 hours a day.

For elections involving state or federal races, counties may opt to extend the early voting period up to a total of 14 days. For other elections that do not involve state or federal elections, the Supervisor of Elections (or the municipality, in the case of municipal elections) determines whether to provide early voting.

Where can you vote early?

Locations vary by county. Specific information will be available at your Supervisor of Elections Office.

What if I requested a vote-by-mail ballot?

You have options:

You can return your vote-by-mail ballots to a secure ballot intake station available at early voting sites during early voting hours, or at your Supervisor of Elecions Office.
You may also surrender (or “cancel”) your vote-by-mail ballot, and vote in person at an early voting site, and even on election day, if you have not voted yet. Poll workers will verify that your ballot has not been received and will give you a regular ballot to vote at the voting location.

Is there early voting during municipal elections?

This depends on each municipality. Not all municipal elections have this option when elections are not on the same day as state or federal elections, so it’s important to verify with the municipality and with your Supervisor of Elections office.

2026 Early Voting Dates

August Primary Election – August 18, 2026

Mandatory early voting period: August 8 – 15
Optional early voting period: August 3-7 & August 16

November General Election – November 3, 2026

Mandatory early voting period: October 24 – 31
Optional early voting period: October 19 – 23, & November 1

Early Voting Advocacy Resources and Tools

All Voting is Local works on connecting local community leaders with our data department to provide analyses to supervisors of elections, identifying gaps in early voting access. Our 2024 Duval analysis and subsequent advocacy led to the establishment of the Dallas Graham Branch Library as an early voting site for the 2026 cycle, and our 2025 analysis of the lack of early voting sites in South St. Petersburg is informing ongoing advocacy to address one of the largest gaps in early voting access in the entire state of Florida.

Too often, early voting sites are opened with little to no promotion, only to be eliminated after a single cycle due to low turnout. The following non-partisan push cards are used by partners for educating voters in surrounding neighborhoods about the opening of these sites to ensure that the community utilizes them and that they can remain open for future elections.