Pinellas County Primary Elections 2026: Candidates, How To Vote

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas 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.

In the city of St. Petersburg, voters will choose among candidates for mayor and several city council seats. Voters in Clearwater will also decide two city council races.

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 13

• Leela Gray (DEM)
• John William Liccione (DEM)
• Brandt Robinson (DEM)

Representative in Congress - District 16

• Jon Harris (DEM)
• Kelly Kirschner (DEM)
• Tamika Lyles (DEM)
• Glenn Pearson (DEM)
• Jan Schneider (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 18

• Linda Kellis Harris (DEM)
• Karla Kemp (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)

Nonpartisan & Municipal Ballot

State Senator - District 16

• Fentrice Driskell (DEM)
• Michele K. Raynor (DEM)

State Representative - District 62

• Kyandra Darling (DEM)
• Wengay "Newt" Newton (DEM)

Pinellas County Commission - District 4

• Dave Eggers (REP)
• Anthony Ringelspaugh (REP)

6th Judicial Circuit - Group 39

• Elizabeth "Liz" Constantine
• Stefen Diskey

6th Judicial Circuit - Group 44

• Oxalis B. Garcia
• Elizabeth "Liz" Jack

County Judge - Group 10

• Nick Fiorentino
• Zachariah Wade

School Board - District 2 At-Large

• Lisa Cane
• Nancy Velardi

School Board - District 3 At-Large

• Curtis Campogni
• Dawn Douglas
• Dawn Peters

School Board - District 6

• Nancy Nelis Bostock
• Amanda Lord

Clearwater - Council Seat 4

• Bianca Latvala
• Jared Leone

Clearwater - Council Seat 5

• Mark Bunker
• Kevin R.T. Laughlin
• Sam Wilson

Oldsmar - Council Seat 3

• Amber Stephens
• Jessica H. Villafana
• Fraser Young

St. Petersburg - Mayor

• Kevin Batdorf
• Charlie Crist
• Brandi Gabbard
• Jim Large
• Maria Lynne Scruggs
• Kenneth T. Welch

St. Petersburg - Council District 6

• Terri Balliet
• Linsey Grove
• Doug Homeyer
• Trevor Mallory
• Jameka Williams

How to Vote in Pinellas 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 Pinellas 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.