Manatee County Primary Elections 2026: Candidates, How To Vote

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County voters will decide on the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, and state legislative races in Tuesday's primary election, along with local contests.

While some races might be decided Tuesday, many candidates will move on to the Nov. 3 general election.

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All polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 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.)

Candidates

Among the local races being considered in the primary are county commission and school board contests.

A sample ballot for the primary can be found here.

The following candidates are on the ballot Tuesday:

Democrats Only:

U.S. Senator

• Angie Nixon (DEM)
• Alexander Vindman (DEM)

Representative in Congress - District 12

• Darren McAuley (DEM)
• Kimberly Overman (DEM)

Representative in Congress - District 15

• Christopher Irizarry (DEM)
• Robert People (DEM)

Governor

• Evelyn Castillo-Bach (DEM)
• Thomas Eloy Fernandez (DEM)
• Dayna Marie Foster (DEM)
• David Jolly (DEM)
• Dotie Joseph (DEM)
• Stephann Norman (DEM)

Chief Financial Officer

• Earle Ford (DEM)
• Annette Taddei (DEM)

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Joey Mendoza Atkins (DEM)
• Donald A. "Don" Prichard (DEM)

State Senator - District 20

• Gerald Baldi (DEM)
• John Houman (DEM)

Republicans Only:

U.S. Senator

• Chris Gleason (REP)
• Ashley Moody (REP)
• Neelam Taneja Perry (REP)
• Ernest "Ernie" Rivera (REP)

Representative in Congress - District 16

• Sydney Gruters (REP)
• Ed Pope (REP)
• Eddie Speir (REP)

Governor

• Jay Collins (REP)
• Byron Donalds (REP)
• James Fishback (REP)
• Jim Holcomb (REP)
• Arthur Joseph McCaffrey (REP)
• Daniel Nokovich (REP)
• Paul Renner (REP)
• Rachel Rodriguez (REP)
• James W. Shaw (REP)
• Caneste Succe (REP)
• Bobby Williams (REP)

Chief Financial Officer

• Frank William Collige (REP)
• Blaise Ingoglia (REP)

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Wilton Simpson (REP)
• Matt Taylor (REP)

State Senator - District 22

• James Buchanan (REP)
• Vic Rohe (REP)

State Senator - District 71

• Melton Little (REP)
• Dylan Paul Modarelli (REP)
• Jordan Vamadore (REP)

State Representative - District 72

• William "Bill" Conerly (REP)
• John "Captain" Phillips (REP)

County Commissioner, District 1

• Elizabeth "Liz" Arnold (REP)
• John Dunn (REP)
• Michael L. Harrison (REP)
• Adam Johnson (REP)
• Mark Stanoch (REP)
• Leland Taylor (REP)

County Commissioner, District 2

• Edward Bailey (REP)
• Amanda Ballard (REP)

County Commissioner, District 4

• Glenn Gibellina (REP)
• Mike Rahn (REP)

County Commissioner, District 6 (At-Large)

• Tony Barrett (REP)
• John B. Calovich (REP)
• Ed Ference (REP)
• Tara Poulton (REP)

Nonpartisan & Municipal Ballot

Manatee County School Board - District 2

• James T. Golden
• Sharon Jefferson
• Margi Nanney
• Cindy Spray
• JT White

Manatee County School Board - District 5

• Camden "Cam" Bedinghaus
• Jonathan Mullis
• Chantal Wilford

How to Vote in Manatee County

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. 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.

In order to cast your ballot in the 2024 primary election, 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.