Tampa Bay Voter Guide 2026: How to vote, county by county
Everything you need to vote in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election, county by county across Tampa Bay. Pick your county:
Key dates
Registration deadline: passed (Oct. 5).
Request a mail ballot by: 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.
Early voting: required Sat., Oct. 24 through Sat., Oct. 31 in every county. Many Tampa Bay counties start Oct. 19 or Oct. 22, and some stay open Sunday, Nov. 1. See your county's guide.
Mail ballots due: in the Supervisor's hands by 7 p.m. Nov. 3. A postmark is not enough.
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at your assigned precinct. Bring a photo ID with a signature.
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. See below.
Merit retention: Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz, plus appeals court judges for your district.
The three amendments
Amendment 1, Budget Stabilization Fund. A yes vote raises the cap on the state's rainy-day fund from 10% to 25% of general revenue, and requires yearly deposits of $750 million or the amount needed to reach the cap, whichever is less, unless certain conditions apply. Lawmakers could still draw on it for critical state needs.
Amendment 2, Exemption of Tangible Personal Property on Agricultural Land. A yes vote exempts certain equipment and other tangible personal property from property taxes starting in 2027, if it is kept on agricultural land, used for farming or agritourism, and owned by the landowner or leaseholder.
Amendment 3, Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Non-Homestead Assessments. A yes vote raises the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then indexes it to inflation. It lowers the yearly cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property from 10% to 5% starting in 2027, and limits how counties and cities can use property-tax money.
Each amendment needs at least 60% yes to pass.
Sources
How we reported this: compiled Oct. 10, 2026, from the Florida Division of Elections, county Supervisors of Elections and the news reports linked above, with AI research help. Spot an error? Tell us.
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