Primary Election early voting begins Saturday
Early voting for the 2026 Primary Election starts this weekend throughout Lee County.
Registered voters can begin casting their ballots at a myriad of sites on Aug. 8, with the early voting period running through Aug. 15.
Early voting sites will be open daily including on the weekends. Voters can also drop off their Vote-by-Mail ballot at a Secure Ballot Intake Station located at early voting sites during the early voting period in their county.
Early voting will take place Aug. 8-15 for the primary election and Oct. 19-31 for the general election. Voting hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
Election Day voting hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the Primary Election on Aug. 18 and the General Election on Nov. 3
Lee County voters can vote at any of the 12 available early voting locations during the early voting period. On Election Day, voters must vote in their assigned precinct.
Early voting sites are:
• Bonita Springs Election Office
25987 S. Tamiami Trail, #105
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
• Cape Coral Elections Office
1039 SE 9th Ave.
Cape Coral, FL 33990
• Cape Coral-Lee County Public Library
921 S.W. 39th Terrace
Cape Coral, FL 33914
• Dr. Carrie D. Robinson Center
2990 Edison Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33916
• East County Regional Library
881 Gunnery Road, N.
Lehigh Acres, FL 33971
• Estero Recreation Center
9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd.
Estero, FL 33928
• Fort Myers Regional Library
1651 Lee St. (Voting Room Address)
2450 First St. (Library Address)
Fort Myers, FL 33901
• Lakes Regional Library
15290 Bass Road
Fort Myers, FL 33919
• Lee County Elections Center
13180 S. Cleveland Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33907
• North Fort Myers Recreation Center
2000 N. Recreation Park Way
North Fort Myers, FL 33903
• Northwest Regional Library
519 Chiquita Blvd., N.
Cape Coral, FL 33993
• Veterans Park Recreation Center
55 Homestead Road, S.
Lehigh Acres, FL 33936
Voters who requested a vote-by-mail ballot are urged to return it early.
The deadline to return a vote-by-mail ballot to the Elections Office is Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.
Voters who plan to return their ballot by U.S. Postal Service are recommended to mail it at least two weeks before the deadline to allow time for delivery.
“I encourage voters who receive their ballot to return it to my office as soon as possible,” said Supervisor of Elections Jenna Persons-Mulicka. “And whether voters will be away from home or want to request a vote-by-mail ballot in case they cannot go to the polls in person, we want to make sure voters are aware of the opportunity for a postage-prepaid vote-by-mail ballot and the need to make a timely request.”
The Lee County Elections Office began mailing approximately 96,000 vote-by-mail ballots to Lee County voters who requested one for the Aug. 18 primary election on July 14.
Voters are urged to note that all vote-by-mail requests made before 2025 have expired.
A new request to receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2026 elections was required.
The deadline to make that request was Aug. 6
Hand-delivered ballots may be returned to any office of the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on Election Day from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Vote-by-mail ballots may also be returned to an authorized secure ballot intake station, located at all 12 early voting sites during the early voting period. Early voting will take place Aug. 8-15, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visit lee.vote for a list of office locations and early voting sites or to track the status of your vote-by-mail ballot.
On the Aug. 18 ballot are three of four Cape Coral City Council seats to be decided this election cycle.
The seats held by Cape Coral council members William Steinke, District 1; Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, District 4; and Keith Long, District 6, are up for election, as is the mayoral seat held by John Gunter.
With the slate now finalized, six candidates have qualified for the mayor’s seat: incumbent John Gunter, Richard Erickson, Richard Andrew Leon, Lisa Cohen-Adkinson, Dan Sheppard and Kara Rogers.
Four candidates have qualified for the District 1 seat: Sean Hartman, David Newton, Thomas James Senatore, and Thomas Shadrach. Steinke did not seek re-election.
In District 4, incumbent Jennifer Nelson-Lastra and James Vargas have qualified. The duo will not be on the primary ballot; both will advance to the General Election on Nov. 3.
Five candidates have qualified for District 6: Joseph Michael Angrisano, Jeffrey W. Huddleston, Liza King, Raymond Salvatore Mule, and Annette Warren. Long did not seek re-election.
Council members qualify in their respective districts but are elected at large, meaning all registered city voters may cast a ballot in each race. Candidates must reside in their district and have been continuous full-time residents of the city for the entire calendar year immediately preceding their qualification for office. Council elections are non-partisan. Terms are four years long, and members are limited to two consecutive terms.
Steinke and Long were elected in 2022. Nelson-Lastra was elected in 2024, defeating appointed incumbent Richard Carr, who was seeking to finish a two-year term that was left vacant by Patty Cummings. Cummings was suspended by the Governor’s Office after she was arrested on charges related to her claims of residency within her district.
Gunter was appointed mayor in January 2021 after the passing of Joe Coviello. He was elected mayor in 2022.
In other races:
There are three seats up for election on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
District 2 Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass (R-Fort Myers), whose district covers Fort Myers, is seeking re-election to a new four-year term and is facing a Republican primary challenge from Fort Myers Democrat Elliot Taylor.
District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman (R-Cape Coral), whose district includes Cape Coral and Fort Myers, is being challenged by Fort Myers Democrat DeMaria “Princess” Artis.
District 5 Commissioner Trish Petrosky (R-Alva) is seeking to retain her seat after being appointed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the office of the late Commissioner Mike Greenwell. Petrosky is facing a primary challenge from fellow Republican and Alva resident Amanda Cochran, who lost a primary bid against Greenwell in a close race. District 5 includes Alva, Buckingham, Lehigh Acres, and part of North Fort Myers.
There are four School District of Lee County School Board seats up for election. Each seat carries a four-year term.
The seats for District 1, District 4, District 5, and District 6 on the school board are all up for election.
District 1 is held by Sam Fisher, who is facing a challenge from Jenn McDaigle of Cape Coral.
District 4 is held by Debbie Jordan, who is being challenged by Fort Myers residents Carl Baxter and Gisele Gentile, and North Fort Myers resident Tony Beougher.
District 5 is held by Chair Armor Persons, who is facing challenges by Fort Myers residents Crystal Johnson and Carline Saintilus.
District 6 is the at-large seat currently held by Jada Langford-Fleming, of Fort Myers. Fort Myers resident India Palencia has announced she is challenging Langford-Fleming for the seat.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections Jenna Persons-Mulicka, who was appointed to her seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis after having served in the State House, is being challenged by Fort Myers Democrat Chris Vignieri.
In addition to the local races, there will be statewide races up for election this November including governor, and state House seats.
There are currently 15 candidates seeking the Congressional seat of outgoing Congressman Byron Donalds (R-Naples), who is seeking the governor’s office. Donalds is one of dozens of candidates who have filed to run.
Locally, State Rep. Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs), who represents Fort Myers Beach in the state legislature, is facing a challenge from Estero Democrat William Moskal for the District 80 seat. District 80 covers Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel.
State House seats carry a two-year term.
Persons-Mulicka’s former District 78 State House seat is being sought by Fort Myers Republicans Audrey Brooks and Susan Frantz, as well as Fort Myers Democrat Cindy Banyai.
Other state representatives from Lee County seeking re-election include District 76 Republican Vanessa Oliver, who is being challenged by Republican Julie Louise McCormack and Democrat Phillip Ray Carter. District 77 Republican Tiffany Esposito is being opposed by Democrat Cornelius Fowler. District 79 Republican Mike Giallombardo, who represents Cape Coral, is running unopposed.