JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With the 2026 general election getting closer, election officials across Northeast Florida are reminding voters to make a plan before Election Day.

Jerry Holland of Duval County, Chris Chambless of Clay County and Vicky Oakes of St. Johns County spoke with In Depth with Kristine Bellino about early voting, voting by mail and some important dates voters should know.

One thing officials have noticed this year is fewer people choosing to vote by mail.

Holland said about 120,000 people voted by mail in Duval County in 2020. This year, that number was around 34,000 at the time of the interview. He said more people are choosing to vote in person instead.

Duval County has also cut down the number of Election Day voting locations over the years. Holland said the county had 302 locations about 16 years ago. It now has 159, even though the county has added about 200,000 voters.

Because of that, election officials are asking people to consider early voting.

Early voting dates are different in each county:

Duval County: October 20 through November 1, with 24 locations.
St. Johns County: October 21 through October 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 10 locations.
Clay County: October 23 through October 31, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voters can find their county’s early voting locations and other election information at NorthFloridaVotes.com. The website lets voters choose their county and takes them to the information they need.

During early voting, voters can go to any early voting location in the county where they live. On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Another important date is October 5, the deadline to register to vote. People with a Florida driver’s license can register online until 11:59 p.m. Registration is also available at elections offices and other public offices.

For people who want to vote by mail, the deadline to request a ballot is October 22 at 5 p.m. Officials said voters should request their ballot as early as possible instead of waiting until the deadline.

Military members and other Americans living outside the country have some different options. Holland said Duval County sent about 3,000 ballots to overseas voters. Overseas voters also have extra time for their ballots to arrive after Election Day, as long as they follow the rules for returning them.

Officials also want voters to look at their sample ballot before voting. Some ballots are long and include more than just the races at the top of the ticket. Holland said Duval’s ballot is 17 inches long and has information on both sides.

The supervisors were also asked about concerns that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could be at voting locations. Holland, Chambless and Oakes said ICE will not be at polling places in their counties. They explained that a person’s citizenship is checked when they register to vote, not when they arrive at the polls.

Election officials say the best thing voters can do is check their information, look over their ballot and decide how they plan to vote before Election Day.

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