Vote-by-mail request deadline for the Primary Election is August 6 at 5 p.m.

Press release from the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. — The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2026 Primary Election is 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 6.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be requested online, in-person, by phone, fax, or mail. Until the deadline, vote-by-mail ballot requests will be processed as they are received.

Florida is a closed primary election state, meaning that only voters registered with a political party can vote for that party’s candidates in partisan races.

There will be two Universal Primary Contests on the August 18 Primary Election ballot – Alachua County Commission District 2 and the Florida House of Representatives District 21.

• Alachua County Commission District 2 will appear on ALL ballots regardless of party affiliation.

• Florida House of Representatives District 21 will appear on ALL ballots of voters residing in State House District 21 regardless of party affiliation.

A Universal Primary Contest occurs when all the candidates for a specific contest have the same party affiliation and the winner will face no opposition in the General Election.

All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote on issues and nonpartisan races.

The deadline to declare or change parties for the Primary Election has passed; it was on July 20.

The Supervisor of Elections Office must receive domestic vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, August 18). Voters who vote-by-mail are encouraged to mail their completed ballot at least one week before Election Day to give the ballot ample time to arrive at the Supervisor of Elections Office before the deadline. Voters should also verify that their voter information and signature are up-to-date before they return their ballot if they have moved, or their signature has changed.

Voters can deliver completed vote-by-mail ballots to the third floor of the Supervisor of Elections Office, located in Gainesville at 515 N. Main St. during normal business hours — 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

During the early voting period, voters may drop their mail ballot at a secure ballot intake station at any of the eight early voting locations from August 7 to August 15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, August 16 and Monday, August 17, the secure ballot intake station will only be available at the Supervisor of Elections Office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Election Day (August 18) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For a list of early voting locations, visit VoteAlachua.gov.