Manatee County Elections 2026 Guide: Candidates, How To Vote

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County voters will decide governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, and state legislative races in the Nov. 3 general election, along with local contests.

They will also have a say on state constitutional amendments on Election Day.

Most Florida polling places are open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST, while some counties in the Panhandle are open until 8 p.m. EST because they're in the Central Time Zone.

Be sure to bring a photo ID with you if you vote in person. (See more information on how to find your polling place or track your mail-in ballot below.)

Register to Vote in Florida

Those who haven’t already registered to vote in Florida still have time to do so by the Oct. 5 deadline. Register to vote online here.

Those already registered can ensure their voter information is up to date here. Voters can update their address any time.

How to Vote in Manatee County

Once you’re registered to vote, there are three ways to cast your ballot in Manatee County: vote by mail, early voting and voting in person on Election Day.

Vote by Mail

Anyone who requested a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2024 elections, the request expired on Dec. 31, 2024.

To vote in the 2026 general election, you must submit a new request, which will expire at the end of December 2026.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2026 general election is 5 p.m. on Oct. 22. Request a vote-by-mail ballot here to receive one.

The state began mailing ballots to absent military and overseas voters who have requested vote-by-mail ballots on Sept. 18. Ballots will be sent to all voters with a “vote-by-mail request starting Oct. 1.

Once a voter has marked their ballot, they can mail it back with no postage required or drop it off at a Secure Ballot Intake Station.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be received no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

After mailing in or dropping off your ballot, you can track when it has been received and counted here.

Early Voting

Registered Manatee County voters can vote early in person starting Oct. 19 through Nov. 1. The polls will be open daily 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voters can vote in person or drop off their vote-by-mail ballot at any Early Voting site during this period. This is different from Election Day voting, when you must only vote at the polling place assigned to your precinct.

The county plans to open the following Early Voting sites:

• GT Bray Park, 5502 33rd Ave. Drive W., Bradenton
• John Marble Recreation Center, 3675 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton
• Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Pkwy., Lakewood Ranch
• Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch
• Palmetto Library, 923 6th Street W., Palmetto
• Parrish Fire District Station #2, 3804 North Rye Road, Parrish
• Rocky Bluff Library, 6750 U.S. Highway 301, Ellenton
• Supervisor of Elections Office, 600 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton

Find more information about Early Voting here.

Election Day Voting

Polling places across the county are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST on Nov. 3. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, but if you arrive at the polling place after 7 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote.

On Election Day, Manatee County may only vote in person at the polling place assigned to their district.

How to Vote in Person

Before voting in person, you can review and update your voter registration information here.

You can also review your personalized sample ballot and find out where you vote on Election Day.

In order to cast your ballot in person, you’ll need to bring a valid and current photo and signature ID to your polling station.

Acceptable forms of ID in Florida include:

• Florida driver license
• Florida ID card (issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)
• U.S. passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military ID
• Student ID
• Retirement center ID
• Neighborhood association ID
• Public assistance ID
• Veteran health ID (issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
• Concealed weapon license (issued pursuant to F.S. 790.06)
• Employee ID card issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the federal government, the state, a county, or a municipality.

If your photo ID doesn't contain your signature, an additional ID with your signature is required.

Without proper identification, you may still vote with a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

If you’re not sure where to vote, you can look up your polling station on the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website.

If you voted by mail, you can track the status of your ballot here.

Voters are welcome to bring a sample ballot to the polling place marked with their choices so there are no delays in voting.

When you arrive at the polls:

1. Check in with your valid and current photo and signature ID.
2. Receive your paper ballot and proceed to a privacy booth.
3. Using the black pen provided, completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections.
4. Review your ballot. If you wish to make changes, request another ballot.
5. If you have any questions, ask a poll worker before you insert the ballot in the scanner. Once a ballot has been accepted, it cannot be retrieved.

Candidates and Issues

Manatee County voters will cast their votes for candidates in multiple state and local races and have a say in statewide and county issues in the Nov. 3 general election.

Find your personalized sample ballot here.

The countywide sample ballot isn’t yet available. Patch has contacted the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office for a complete list of races and issues being considered by voters on Nov. 3.

The following candidates and issues are some that will be included on the ballot (vote for one in each race unless noted otherwise).

This list will be updated when the Supervisor of Elections provides a complete ballot to Patch.

Federal Races

U.S. Senator

• Ashley Moody, Republican
• Angie Nixon, Democrat
• Neil J. Gillespie, No Party Affiliation

U.S House of Representatives, District 16

• Sydney Gruters, Republican
• Kelly Kirschner, Democrat
• Mark Davis, No Party Affiliation

State Candidate Contests

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• Byron Donalds/Bryan Avila, Republican
• David Jolly/Gwen Graham, Democrat
• Scott Eckhard Jewett/Nicole Skelly, Libertarian Party of Florida
• Charles Burkett/Ruben Coto, No Party Affiliation
• Frank J. Russo/Rachel Rodriguez, No Party Affiliation
• Moliere “Moe” Dimanche/Benjaman Rojas, No Party Affiliation
• Dean Ocean Abrams/Joe Van Vactor, No Party Affiliation
• Jeffrey Peter “Dr. Jeff” Datto/Juan Santana, No Party Affiliation
• Qualified Write-In Candidates - Kathy Anderson/Daniel Nokovich and Erik Morris/LeRoy Alaways

Attorney General

• James Uthmeier, Republican
• Jose Javier Rodriguez, Democrat

Chief Financial Officer

• Blaise Ingoglia, Republican
• Annette Taddeo, Democrat

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Wilton Simpson, Republican
• Joey Mendoza Atkins, Democrat
• Qualified Write-In Candidate - Kyle “KC” Gibson

State Senator, District 20

• Geraldi Baldi, Democrat
• Jim Boyd, Republican

State Senator, District 22

• James Buchanan, Republican
• Martin Hyde, No Party Affiliation
• Lew Wasserman, Democrat

State Representative, District 70

• Michael Owen, Republican
• Luther Keith Wilkins, Democrat

State Representative, District 71

• Ocean Fitts, Democrat
• Joseph Hoolihan, No Party Affiliation
• Jordan Varnadore, Republican

State Representative, District 72

• William “Bill” Conerly, Republican
• Harvey Shifrin, Democrat

Judicial Retention

Justice of the Supreme Court

Shall Justice Carlos G. Muniz of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

District Court of Appeal

Shall Justice Drew Atkins of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Morris Silberman of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Daniel H. Sleet of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Andrea Teves Smith of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Manatee County Races

Board of County Commissioners, District 1

• Elizabeth Arnold, Republican
• Sari Lindroos-Valimaki, Democrat
• Qualified Write-in Candidate - Jack D. May Jr.

Board of County Commissioners, District 2

• Amanda Ballard, Republican
• Charles B. Smith Sr., Democrat

Board of County Commissioners, District 4

• Mike Rahn, Republican
• Qualified Write-In Candidate - Allison S. Sneed

Board of County Commissioners, District 6, At Large

• Reggie J. Bellamy, Democrat
• Tara Poulton, Republican

School Board, District 2

• Sharon Jefferson
• Cindy Spray

School Board, District 4

• Chad Choate

School Board, District 5

• Camden T. Bedinghaus
• Jonathan Mullis

Bradenton City Council

Ward 2

• Marianne Barnebey

Ward 3

• Kemp F. Schuessler
• Thomas J. Schwarz

Ward 4

• Keith J. Green
• Lisa Gonzalez Moore

Florida Constitutional Amendments

No. 1 - Constitutional Amendment Article II, Section 19 - Budget Stabilization Fund

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to increase the amount of funds that may be retained in the budget stabilization fund from 10% to 25% of general revenue collections, require the legislature to transfer the lesser of $750 million or the amount required to reach 25% of the general revenue collections each year unless certain conditions are met, and allow the legislature to withdraw funds for critical state needs.

• Yes
• No

No. 2 - Constitutional Amendment, Article VII, Section 3; Article XII - Exemption of Tangible Personal Property on Agricultural Land from Taxation

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to exempt tangible personal property habitually located or typically present on land classified as agricultural, used in the production of agricultural products or for agritourism activities, and owned by the landowner or leaseholder of the agricultural land from ad valorem taxation. If approved this amendment would first apply for tax years beginning January 1, 2027.

• Yes
• No

No. 3 - Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Sections 4, 6 and 9; Article XII - Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments

This amendment increases the homestead exemption, for all non-school taxes, to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and adjusts for inflation thereafter. It requires the Legislature to prescribe a uniform procedure for counties and municipalities, for their respective levies, to increase the homestead exemption up to full assessed value, and allows special districts, subject to referendum approval, to do the same.

Persons who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026, will receive the existing homestead exemption upon qualifying for a homestead exemption, with the increased homestead exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution.

This amendment reduces the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.

This amendment requires counties and municipalities to use property taxes solely for public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement benefits for employees, and operations and administration. Other expenditures may be approved by county officers or county or municipal governing bodies unless prohibited by general law, notwithstanding Article VII, Section 9(a) of the Florida Constitution, which allows counties and municipalities to levy property taxes for their respective purposes.

This amendment takes effect January 1, 2027.

• Yes
• No