Election 2026
Escambia Early Voting Breaks Records as Mail Ballots Fall 30%
Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender says every day of early voting beat 2022, and he expects half or more of Tuesday’s turnout to come on Election Day. Total Early Voting: 46,194
Escambia County voters turned out in record numbers during 13 days of early voting, and Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender is hoping that momentum carries into Election Day. Bender joined me on We Don’t Color on the Dog on the eve of the election to walk through what voters need to know.
“Every day of early voting was better than 2022.” —Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender
Bender said turnout topped even 2018, when Escambia hit 61%, its record for a midterm gubernatorial cycle.
The Numbers
- Early voting: Record numbers over 13 days, beating 2022 every day.
- Vote by mail: Down about 30%, and down statewide. Requests made in 2020 carried through 2022, but voters now must renew their request every cycle.
- Party turnout: Statewide, a higher percentage of Democrats have voted, according to Bender. Republicans lead in raw numbers because the GOP has about 1.5 million more registered voters statewide.
- Election Day: The last two midterms drew roughly 50,000 and 55,000 voters on Election Day. Bender expects 50% or more of total turnout to come Tuesday.
What Turnout Could Look Like
Bender projects 110,000 to 120,000 total voters. Escambia has about 17,000 fewer registered voters than in 2022, which helps the percentage. If the county matches its 2022 raw vote total and adds 5%, turnout would reach about 56%, compared with roughly 51.5% four years ago.
- If Election Day brings 55,000 to 60,000 voters, he said, turnout could climb to around 60%.
The open question is whether those Election Day voters will split the same way early voters did. As I told Bender, that is the test, and nobody knows the answer yet.
Before You Head Out Tuesday
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you vote. The clerk stands at the end of the line when the polls close, and anyone who arrives after that is late.
- Go to your home precinct. Bender stressed that voters must vote at their assigned precinct on Election Day.
- Precinct 35 has moved. The hurricane damaged the East Pensacola Heights Community Center. Voters will cast ballots at Heights Baptist Church, about two blocks away.
- Look for signs. A-frame signs will direct voters at any relocated site, and early voting sites will post QR codes that show voters where to go.
- Check your precinct online. Your sample ballot lists it, and you can look it up on the Supervisor of Elections website, escambiavotes.gov.
Still have a vote-by-mail ballot? Do not risk the postal service. Your ballot must be in the Supervisor of Elections’ possession by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Drop it off at the downtown office in the Escambia County complex, which will stay open until 7 p.m. The USPS will make final sweeps Tuesday evening, but Bender urges voters not to wait.
When to Expect Results
The first numbers should post shortly after 7 p.m. Elections staff pause at 6:30 p.m. to prepare the early voting and vote-by-mail results, which Bender expects will represent about 45% of the vote. The county has 30 minutes to release them, but the goal is to have the website updated by 7:03 or 7:05.
- In the primary, all city precincts had reported by 7:20 p.m. and the city race was called. Bender expects 77 of Escambia’s 80 precincts to report by 7:30 or 7:40 p.m. Precincts on the north end sometimes struggle with connectivity.
Statewide, 2018 produced three recounts in the last open governor’s race. Unofficial results will follow on Thursday and Friday.
Recap
Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.Find your precinct by using the “Find My Precinct” tool at escambiavotes.gov/precinct-finder. If you moved recently and forgot to update your address information, the precinct workers can help you.
To vote in person (early and on Election Day), you must present a photo and signature identification card. Acceptable forms of this kind of ID include Florida Driver’s Licenses, student and military IDs and U.S. passports. Your voter registration card isn’t necessary.
If you need assistance due to a disability or inability to read or write English, you are entitled to assistance in voting. You may bring someone with you, or poll workers from different political parties will assist you.
And remember—if you’re in line when the polls close, you still get to vote. So don’t leave simply because the clock strikes 7 p.m.
Visit escambiavotes.gov. Also, check out Inweekly Midterm Guide.