Registration deadline for August primary is July 20

By S.T. Cardinal
| 5:00 a.m. July 7, 2026

The primary election in Florida will be held Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Longboat Key
News

Voters choose the candidates who will appear on the general election ballots months before the election in August.

The primary election is Aug. 18, and those who are not yet registered or wish to change their party affiliation must do so by Monday, July 20.

Registration can be done online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, in person at a supervisor of elections office (2001 Adams Lane for Sarasota County residents or 600 301 Blvd. W., Ste. 108 for Manatee County residents) or by mail by filling out and mailing a voter registration form, which can be downloaded and printed at VoteManatee.gov or SarasotaVotes.gov.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Sample ballots, early voting and mail ballot information are at the county supervisor of elections websites.

author

S.T. Cardinal

S.T. "Tommy" Cardinal is the Longboat Key news reporter. The Sarasota native earned a degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando with a minor in environmental studies. In Central Florida, Cardinal worked for a monthly newspaper covering downtown Orlando and College Park. He then worked for a weekly newspaper in coastal South Carolina where he earned South Carolina Press Association awards for his local government news coverage and photography.