2026 Voter Guide: Polk County

Elections

Oct 10

Part of our Tampa Bay Voter Guide 2026. Your county Supervisor of Elections is the official source; when in doubt, check with them. Information current as of Oct. 11, 2026.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and anyone in line at 7 p.m. can vote. On Election Day you must vote at your assigned precinct; during early voting you can use any early voting site in your county. Bring a current photo ID with a signature.

Your elections office

Supervisor of Elections: Melony Bell
Website: polkelections.gov
Phone: 863-534-5888
Office: 250 S. Broadway Ave., Bartow; Elections Operations Center at 70 Florida Citrus Blvd., Winter Haven

Early voting

Mon., Oct. 19 through Sat., Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Supervisor's website lists a Sunday, Oct. 18 start, but state law lets early voting begin no sooner than Oct. 19. If you plan to vote on the first day, call 863-534-5888 to confirm. Ten sites:

Bartow: Polk Street Community Center
Davenport: Sheriff's Northeast District Office
Haines City Library
Lake Alfred: Northeast Polk Government Center
Lake Wales Family Recreation Center
Lakeland: Polk County Government Center
Lakeland: Simpson Park Community Center
Mulberry Civic Center
Poinciana Community Fitness Center
Winter Haven: Nora Mayo Hall

Voting by mail

The deadline to request a mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Requests from 2024 have expired, so if you haven't asked for a 2026 ballot, you need to. Your ballot must reach the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. Nov. 3. A postmark is not enough, and mail ballots cannot be dropped off at Election Day polling places. If your signature is missing or doesn't match, you have until 5 p.m. Nov. 5 to fix it with a cure affidavit.

Request a ballot online at polkelections.gov. Drop it at a secure ballot intake station at any early voting site during early voting, or at the Bartow and Winter Haven offices, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Your sample ballot

Use Find Your Precinct at polkelections.gov. The county's sample ballot is marked "available soon."

On every Florida ballot

Governor: Byron Donalds (R), with running mate Bryan Avila, vs. David Jolly (D), with running mate Gwen Graham, plus several no-party and Libertarian candidates. Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited.
U.S. Senate (special election): Sen. Ashley Moody (R) vs. state Rep. Angie Nixon (D), plus no-party candidates. The winner serves the last two years of Marco Rubio's term.
Attorney General: James Uthmeier (R, incumbent) vs. José Javier Rodríguez (D).
Chief Financial Officer: Blaise Ingoglia (R, incumbent) vs. Annette Taddeo (D).
Agriculture Commissioner: Wilton Simpson (R, incumbent) vs. Joey Mendoza Atkins (D).
Amendments 1, 2 and 3, all placed on the ballot by the Legislature. Each needs 60% yes to pass. What each amendment does.
Merit retention: Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz, plus appeals court judges for your district.

Local races and questions in Polk County

U.S. House

District 9: Rep. Darren Soto (D) vs. Dan Green (R).
District 16: Sydney Gruters (R) vs. Kelly Kirschner (D) vs. Mark Davis (no party). Read our Spotlight on Mark Davis.
District 18: Rep. Scott Franklin (R) vs. Curtis Gibson (D) vs. Deva Simmons (no party).

County Commission

District 4: Omar Arroyo (R) vs. write-in Elisha Gresham.

Rick Wilson won District 2 in August.

School Board (runoff)

District 3: Kate Wallace vs. Victor Sims.

Ballot question

School property tax ("Millage for School Safety, Teachers, and Career Education"): a one-mill property tax for Polk schools for four years, with money starting in July 2027. It would raise an estimated $76 million to $82 million a year, about $260 a year more for the average homeowner.

Sources

How we reported this: compiled Oct. 10, 2026, from the Polk County Supervisor of Elections, the Florida Division of Elections and the news reports linked above, with AI research help. Candidate lists from primary results can change; your sample ballot is final. Spot an error? Tell us.

Joseph Jackson