Sarasota County Primary Elections 2026: Candidates, How To Vote

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Sarasota 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, most winning 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, Republicans will choose their party's county commission candidates in District 2 and District 4.

All voters in Districts 1, 4 and 5 will decide on school board members.

In the city of Sarasota, voters will choose among the five candidates running for two at-large City Commission seats. The top three vote-getters will then be on the ballot for the general election.

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
• Alexander Vindman

Representative in Congress - District 16

• Jon Harris
• Kelly Kirschner
• Tamika Lyles
• Glenn Pearson
• Jan Schneider

Representative in Congress - District 17

• Matthew Montavon
• Allen L. Spence, Jr.

Governor

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

Chief Financial Officer

• Earle Ford
• Annette Taddei

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Joey Mendoza Atkins
• Donald A. "Don" Prichard

Republicans Only:

U.S. Senator

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

Representative in Congress - District 16

• Sydney Gruters
• Ed Pope
• Eddie Speir

Governor

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

Chief Financial Officer

• Frank William Collige
• Blaise Ingoglia

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Wilton Simpson
• Matt Taylor

State Senator - District 22

• James Buchanan
• Vic Rohe

State Representative - District 74

• Les Nichols
• Nick Pachota
• Jennifer Peeples Winkler
• Kelly Ann Walker

Sarasota County Commission - District 2

• Kristina Sargent
• Mark Smith

Sarasota County Commission - District 4

• Jim DeNiro
• Joe Neunder

Charter Review Board - District 3

• Chip Adams
• Alicia Hopper

Charter Review Board - District 5

• Erin Halstead
• Andrew Sias

All Voters, Regardless Of Party:

Sarasota County School Board - District 1

• Heidi Brandt
• Teresa Ann DeWitt
• Jimmy Glover

Sarasota County School Board - District 4

• Frank DiCicco
• Megan Tennimon

Sarasota County School Board - District 5

• Beth Mayberry
• Michelle Pozzie

Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board - Northern District, Seat 1

• Brad Baker
• Bill Woeltjen

Charter Review Board - District 1

• Nicholas R. Altier
• Alexandra Coe
• Bill Van Allen

City of Sarasota Residents:

Sarasota City Commission - At-Large Seats (vote for two)

• Jen Ahearn-Koch
• Florence "Flo" Entler
• John Harshman
• Yevgeny Khodorkovsky
• Rob Rominiecki

How to Vote in Sarasota 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 Sarasota 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.