Vote-by-mail ballots for 2026 Primary Election have been mailed

Press release from the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. –  Just over 19,000 vote-by-mail ballots for the 2026 Primary Election have been mailed to Alachua County voters.

Voters who requested a vote-by-mail ballot should expect to receive their ballot in the next week. Ballots will arrive in a pink envelope.

Any registered voter can sign up to vote by mail. 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 at https://alachua.electionsfl.org/vrservices/mbrs#, in person, by phone, fax, mail, or email. 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.

However, 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.

Any voter who wishes to change their party affiliation must do so by the July 20 deadline for the change to take effect for this year’s Primary Election.

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 well in advance of 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.

Additionally, when completing and mailing their vote-by-mail ballot, voters are encouraged to follow the following instructions:

• Completely fill in the oval next to your choice on your ballot — do not circle or mark an “X” over the oval.
• If you make a mistake on your ballot, call the Supervisor of Elections Office at 352-374-5252.
• Be sure to sign your vote-by-mail ballot certificate envelope.
• Return your vote-by-mail ballot in the official envelope provided. Return postage is prepaid.

Any voter who does not sign their vote-by-mail ballot or whose signature on the vote-by-mail ballot certificate does not compare to the signature in their voter record will be contacted by the Supervisor of Elections Office and provided the opportunity to correct their ballot. Per Florida Statutes, voters have until 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 20 to complete an affidavit to correct a vote-by-mail ballot that does not have a signature or has a signature that does not compare to the voter’s signature on file.

Voters can deliver completed vote-by-mail ballots to 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. Voters can also use the Secure Ballot Intake Station located outside of the office’s main entrance during the early voting period, which will take place between August 7 and August 15. The Secure Ballot Intake Station will be available between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Supervisor of Elections Office during the early voting period and at the other seven early voting locations in the county.

The full list of early voting locations for the 2026 Primary Election are:

• Supervisor of Elections Office, 515 North Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601
• Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville, FL 32606
• J. Wayne Reitz Union, 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611
• Tower Road Branch Library, 3020 SW 75th Street, Gainesville, FL 32608
• Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center, 23100 W Newberry Rd, Newberry, FL 32669 
• Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, 15400 Peggy Road, Alachua, FL 32615
• Hawthorne Community Center, 6700 SE 221st St, Hawthorne, FL 32640
• Santa Fe College, Room S-029, 3000 NW 83rd St, Gainesville, FL 32606

After early voting has ended, the Secure Ballot Intake Station will be available at the Supervisor of Elections Office only on Sunday, August 16 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Monday, August 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day (August 18).