Early voting continues with election day ahead
After months of campaigning by a multitude of candidates across the state both locally and beyond, the 2026 General Election is just about ready to be decided.
On Nov. 3, the final ballots will be tallied and voters will see who has been chosen to represent them.
The Early Voting period for the General Election has been underway since Oct. 19, and will run until this Saturday, Oct. 31.
As of Thursday, the unofficial voter turnout has seen 74,963 early votes cast, with the unofficial voter turnout combining vote-by-mail ballots sitting at 184,995.
“Turnout for early voting has been great so far. More than 70,000 voters have cast their ballots early in the General Election,” said Lee County Supervisor of Elections, Jenna Persons-Mulicka. “Although we had a spectacular turnout for early voting during the Primary, we statistically see more voters come out to vote during the General Election. We’ve already surpassed Primary early voting turnout by nearly 30,000 voters.”
On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters must vote at their assigned precinct and are encouraged to verify their polling location before heading to the polls.
There have been several Election Day polling location changes since the 2024 election cycle, including one temporary change since the 2026 August primary election.
Florida law requires voters to present a valid photo and signature identification when voting in person. The photo identification must not have expired.
For those unable to vote on Tuesday, or who want to avoid possible crowds and lines, there is still time to cast an early ballot.
“Early voting is a flexible in-person option for voters who want to cast their ballot before Election Day,” Persons-Mulicka said. “Some voters find it more convenient to vote early, since they can do so at any of the 12 early voting sites available across Lee County.”
Voters are encouraged to review their sample ballot before heading to the polls to familiarize themselves with the contests and ballot measures that will appear on their ballot.
Voters can access their voter-specific sample ballot on the Lee County Elections website, lee.vote .
As for Tuesday, Persons-Mulicka said the office and polling locations are ready to take on the day.
“My team and I are absolutely ready for Election Day,” she said. “We’re in the final stretch of early voting. As soon as that ends, we shift our focus to getting our election equipment to every single Election Day polling place for our voters.”
Lee County Early Voting sites include:
• Bonita Springs Elections Office – 25987 S Tamiami Trail #105, Bonita Springs
• Cape Coral Elections Office – 1039 SE 9th Avenue, Cape Coral
• Cape Coral-Lee County Library – 921 SW 39th Terrace, Cape Coral
• Dr. Carrie D. Robinson Center – 2990 Edison Avenue, Fort Myers
• East County Regional Library – 881 Gunnery Road N, Lehigh Acres
• Estero Recreation Center – 9200 Corkscrew Palms Boulevard, Estero
• Fort Myers Regional Library – Voting Room Address: 1651 Lee Street/Library Address: 2450 First Street, Fort Myers
• Lakes Regional Library – 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers
Lee County Elections Center – 13180 S Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers
• North Fort Myers Recreation Center – 2000 N Recreation Park Way, North Fort Myers
• Northwest Regional Library – 519 Chiquita Boulevard N, Cape Coral
• Veterans Park Recreation Center – 55 Homestead Road S, Lehigh Acres
Race information for the General Election includes:
Cape Coral City Council
There are four council seats up for grabs in November. All races are at large and non-partisan meaning voters may cast a ballot no matter the district in which they live.
• Cape Coral Mayor: Lisa Cohen-Adkinson and Rick Erickson
• District 1: Dave Newton and Tom Shadrach
• District 4: Incumbent Jennifer Nelson-Lastra and James Vargas
• District 6: Liza King and Annette Warren
More information on the Cape Coral City Council races, including candidate responses to Questions of the Week, may be found on The Breeze website under Election 2026.
Lee County Board of County Commissioners
There are two races on the ballot. The races are at large meaning voters may cast a ballot no matter the district in which they live.
• District 2: Incumbent Cecil Pendergrass (R) and Elliot Taylor (D)
• District 4: Incumbent Brian Hamman (R) and DeMaria “Princess” Artis (NPA)
Lee County School Board
There are two races on the General Election ballot. The two seats are by district meaning voters may cast a ballot only in the district in which they live.
The races are non-partisan.
• District 4: Incumbent Debbie Jordan and Tony Beougher
This race includes parts of Cape Coral and North Fort Myers.
• District 5: Incumbent Armor Persons and Crystal Johnson
Incumbent Sam Fisher, District 1, won his seat outright in the primary as did Jada Langford-Fleming, who retained her seat in District 6, an at-large seat.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections
• Incumbent Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R) and Chris Vignieri (D)
United States Senator
• Ashley Moody (R); Angie Nixon (D); and Neil J. Gillespie (NPA)
District 19 Representative in Congress
• Jim Schwartzel (R) and Victor Arias (D) Seth Haskin (NPA)
Governor
• Byron Donalds (R); David Jolly (D); Scott Eckhard Jewett (LPF); Charles Burkett (NPA); Frank J. Russo (NPA); Moliere “Moe” Dimanche (NPA); Dean Ocean Abrams (NPA); and Jeffrey Peter “Dr. Jeff” Datto (NPA)
District 17 Representative in Congress
• Incumbent Greg Stube (R); Matthew Montavon (D); and Michael J. Quirk (NPA)
Commissioner of Agriculture
• Wilton Simpson (R) and Joey Mendoza Atkins (D)
Attorney General
• Incumbent James Uthmeier (R) and Jose Javier Rodriguez (D)
Chief Financial Officer
• Incumbent Blaise Ingoglia (R) and Annette Taddeo (D)
Lee County Charter Amendments
Lee County voters will decide two proposed charter questions related to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners in addition to three state referendum questions including the controversial homestead exemption increase from $50,000 to $250,000 for local property taxes (excluding school taxes).
At the county level, voters are being asked whether they want to change the county charter to restrict the right of voters to vote for all county commissioners, and instead limit votes for commissioners within the districts they represent. The change was opposed by Lee County commissioners and championed by Lee County’s state legislative delegation.
The ballot language reads:
Referendum Providing for the Structure of the County Legislative Branch
Shall Chapter 2025-222, Laws of Florida, which amends the Lee County Home Rule Charter to provide that, beginning with the 2028 general election, the Board of County Commissioners shall be composed of five (5) members elected in single-member districts, become effective?
Voters may vote yes to approve or no to reject.
A second proposed county charter change would limit the number of consecutive terms for county constitutional officers, meaning elected county officials, to three consecutive four-year terms.
The ballot language reads:
Referendum Providing for the Structure of the County Legislative Branch
Shall Chapter 2025-222, Laws of Florida, which amends the Lee County Home Rule Charter to provide that, beginning with the 2028 general election, the Board of County Commissioners shall be composed of five (5) members elected in single-member districts, become effective The second proposed county charter change would limit the number of consecutive terms for county constitutional officers, meaning elected county officials, to three consecutive four-year terms.
Voters may vote yes to approve or no to reject.
For more information, including sample ballots and to find your designated polling location, visit www.lee.vote.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com