Florida’s 2026 primary election is on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. The general election follows on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. For voters across Florida’s 14th Congressional District — Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, Valrico, and Sun City Center — this guide is the practical walkthrough. It covers how to register, how to vote by mail, how to vote early, and how to vote in person on Election Day.
If you take only one action after reading this: confirm your voter registration status today at votehillsborough.gov. Every other step depends on it.
Step 1: Make Sure You Are Registered to Vote in Florida
To vote in the 2026 primary, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- A Florida resident
- 18 years of age by Election Day (you can pre-register at 16)
- Registered with a political party by July 20, 2026 if you want to vote in that party’s primary
- Not currently incarcerated for a felony, and any voting rights restoration completed if applicable
Florida is a closed primary state. That means you may only vote in a Republican primary if you are registered as a Republican. Likewise, you may only vote in a Democratic primary if you are registered as a Democrat. Voters registered as No Party Affiliation (NPA) cannot vote in either party’s primary. Nonpartisan judicial races, the applicable school-board races, and any Universal Primary Contests still appear on August ballots, and every voter votes in the November general election.
If you are currently registered NPA in Hillsborough County, take note. To vote in the Republican primary on August 18, you must change your registration to Republican by July 20, 2026 — 29 days before the primary.
Confirm your current registration status, address, and party affiliation at votehillsborough.gov or registertovoteflorida.gov.
How to Register or Update Your Florida Voter Registration
Florida offers three ways to register or update your voter registration:
- Online at registertovoteflorida.gov. Fastest. Requires a Florida driver’s license or state ID.
- By mail. Download the Florida Voter Registration Application from the Florida Division of Elections, complete it, and mail it to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections at 601 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602.
- In person at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office, any public library, the county tax collector’s office, or any DHSMV (driver’s license) office.
For the August 18, 2026 primary, the registration and party-change deadline is July 20, 2026. Postmarks count for mail-in registrations sent on or before that date. Online and in-person registrations must be completed by 11:59 PM on July 20.
Voting Options: In-Person, Early Voting, and Vote by Mail
Hillsborough County voters have three ways to cast a ballot.
Vote by Mail. Any registered Florida voter can request a mail ballot — no excuse required. Request your ballot at votehillsborough.gov or by calling the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Mail ballot requests for the August 18, 2026 primary are due to the Supervisor of Elections by 5 PM on August 6, 2026. One critical change this cycle: Florida law expires all vote-by-mail requests after every general election. That means even if you voted by mail in 2024, you must submit a new request for 2026.
Completed mail ballots must be received (not just postmarked) by 7 PM on Election Day. Late ballots are not counted, even if mailed in time. You may return your completed mail ballot at any early-voting location or the Supervisor of Elections office, in addition to mailing it back.
Early Voting. Hillsborough County operates 27 early-voting sites for the primary, running August 3 through August 16, 2026, 10 AM to 6 PM. That is a longer window than the statewide minimum, so guides written for other counties may show different dates. Any registered Hillsborough County voter can vote at any open early-voting site in the county — you are not restricted to the location nearest your home. Find current early-voting hours and locations at votehillsborough.gov.
For FL-14 voters, several sites sit right in the district’s communities, per the Supervisor of Elections’ official 2026 locations list:
- Riverview has three: Providence West Park (5405 Providence Rd), Riverview Public Library (9951 Balm Riverview Rd), and the Southeast Regional Office (10020 S US Hwy 301)
- Valrico/Bloomingdale has the Bloomingdale Regional Public Library (1906 E Bloomingdale Ave)
- Plant City has Bruton Memorial Library (302 W McLendon St)
- Seffner has the Seffner-Mango Branch Library (410 N Kingsway Rd)
- Apollo Beach has the Apollo Beach Park & Recreation Center (664 Golf and Sea Blvd)
- Ruskin has two: the SouthShore Community Resource Center (201 14th Ave SE) and the Southshore Regional Service Center (410 30th St SE) — also the closest options for Sun City Center and Wimauma voters
Brandon has no site addressed in Brandon itself. The closest options are the Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center (2514 N Falkenburg Rd) on Brandon’s west side and the Bloomingdale library to the south. Since any site works, pick whichever is convenient — the county’s early-voting location tool at votehillsborough.gov maps them all.
Election Day In-Person. On August 18, 2026, polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM. You must vote at your assigned precinct on Election Day. Confirm your assigned precinct at votehillsborough.gov before heading out — precincts have shifted in recent cycles and assuming the same site as the previous election can cost a vote.
Key Dates at a Glance
| Item | Date |
|---|---|
| Voter registration / party change deadline (Primary) | July 20, 2026 |
| Vote-by-mail request deadline | 5 PM, August 6, 2026 |
| Early voting period (Hillsborough, 27 sites) | August 3–16, 2026 |
| Primary Election Day | August 18, 2026 (polls 7 AM–7 PM) |
| Vote-by-mail receipt deadline | 7 PM on August 18, 2026 |
| General Election | November 3, 2026 |
Dates verified against votehillsborough.gov and the Florida Division of Elections (July 2026). Always confirm at votehillsborough.gov before any deadline — Supervisor of Elections schedules govern.
Hillsborough County Contact Information
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
- Website: votehillsborough.gov
- Address: 601 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
- Voter registration and party change: register at votehillsborough.gov or in person
Florida Statewide
- Website: registertovoteflorida.gov
- Florida Division of Elections: dos.fl.gov/elections
For Florida’s 14th Congressional District voters, Hillsborough County is the only county that administers your election. Your federal congressional ballot, state legislative ballot, county ballot, and judicial ballot all flow through the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
Why Your Primary Vote Matters in FL-14
A primary is where the choice gets made. By the time the general election arrives, the candidate list is set. The primary is the moment FL-14 voters decide who stands on the ballot in November. This cycle that moment matters more than usual. Eight Republicans qualified for the August 18 primary, and with no Democratic primary it is the only contested congressional race on the FL-14 August ballot. The full field is on the FL-14 candidates 2026 guide.
After nine terms — eighteen years — Kathy Castor’s grip on Tampa Bay has been built on uncompetitive races and low-information primaries. The way to break that pattern is for FL-14 Republicans to participate in the primary and hold a serious nominating contest. Then the district can put forward a candidate who presents a real choice in November.
Election integrity matters across both stages. Read our full analysis: election integrity in Florida’s 2026 races. Confidence in the count is what makes a democratic primary worth participating in — and Florida has one of the strongest voter ID, signature-verification, and mail-ballot integrity frameworks in the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Florida’s 2026 primary election?
Florida’s 2026 primary election is Tuesday, August 18, 2026. The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls are open 7 AM to 7 PM on both election days.
What is the voter registration deadline for Florida’s 2026 primary?
The voter registration and party affiliation change deadline for the August 18, 2026 primary is July 20, 2026 — 29 days before the primary. Florida is a closed primary state: only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. If you are registered as No Party Affiliation (NPA) and want to vote in the Republican primary, you must change your registration to Republican by July 20.
Can independents (NPA) vote in Florida’s primary?
Not in party primaries — Florida is a closed primary state, so only registered members of a political party can vote in that party’s primary, including the FL-14 congressional Republican primary.
But NPA voters are not shut out of the August 18 election entirely. Nonpartisan judicial races appear on every voter’s ballot. So do the applicable school-board races — countywide District 6 for everyone, and District 2 for its residents. And this cycle Hillsborough has three Universal Primary Contests (State Senate District 16 and State House Districts 62 and 63) open to all voters who live in those districts. To vote in a party’s primary, you must be registered with that party by the book-closing deadline.
What is the deadline to change party affiliation in Florida?
Florida’s book closing falls 29 days before each primary election — for the August 18, 2026 primary, that deadline was July 20, 2026. Party changes submitted after book closing still take effect, but only for future elections; registration itself (for new voters) closes October 5, 2026 for the November general. You can change party affiliation any time at registertovoteflorida.gov or through the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, and the change applies to the next election whose book closing you beat.
How do I request a mail ballot for Florida’s 2026 primary?
Contact the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections to request a mail ballot at votehillsborough.gov. The request deadline for the August 18 primary is 5 PM on August 6, 2026. Remember that Florida vote-by-mail requests expire after every general election, so 2024 mail voters must submit a new request.
Completed ballots must be received (not just postmarked) by 7 PM on August 18. You may also return your completed mail ballot in person at any early voting site or the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office at 601 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa.
What ID do I need to vote in person in Florida?
Florida requires a valid photo ID with signature to vote in person. Acceptable forms include a Florida driver’s license or ID card, U.S. passport, military ID, student ID from a Florida public university or college, and other government-issued photo IDs. Voters without acceptable ID may cast a provisional ballot and present identification within two days to have it counted.
Stand for FL-14 in 2026
The 2026 primary is the moment Hillsborough County voters set the November ballot. Show up. Bring a neighbor. After nine terms — eighteen years — FL-14 deserves a real contest, and the contest starts on August 18.
Donate to John Peters’ campaign or contact the campaign. See the issues that matter most to FL-14.