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Live updates: Primary Election Day in Central Florida

Published August 18, 2026 at 12:38 PM EDT
An elections worker accepts a vote-by-mail ballot at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office in Orlando Tuesday morning.
Kayla Kissel
/
Central Florida Public Media
An elections worker accepts a vote-by-mail ballot at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office in Orlando Tuesday morning.

Voter Guide: Haven't voted yet? Find information on the candidates in Central Florida Public Media's Voter Guide.

Election coverage: Explore Central Public Media's ongoing elections coverage.

Election Results: We'll have county-by-county local election results once they start to come in.

Applause for the No. 1 voter

Sheslie Canales Miranda was the first person to cast a vote at the downtown Orlando precinct at the Broadway United Methodist Church.

Sheslie Canales Miranda laughs just outside of the Broadway United Methodist Church polling place in Orlando just after polls opened on primary election day.
Sam Stockbridge
/
Central Florida Public Media
Sheslie Canales Miranda laughs just outside of the Broadway United Methodist Church polling place in Orlando just after polls opened on primary election day.

"My experience was great," she said. "The place is well-kept, the volunteers are in a cheery mood even at 7 in the morning, and I got like a round of applause for being the first one in, so that was awesome, too."

The self-described LGBTQ advocate and Puerto Rican said she voted for candidates who would "support our rights."

What would Susan B. Anthony say?

Floridians are going to the polls today for the Primary Election. One of those voters, outside the First Baptist Church in Ocala, was 78-year-old Dee Collier

Dee Collier, a registered Republican, voted at the First Baptist Church in Ocala on Tuesday.
Joe Byrnes
/
Central Florida Public Media
Dee Collier, a registered Republican, voted at the First Baptist Church in Ocala on Tuesday.

Collier said she put in the work researching Republican candidates for governor and County Commission. She does historical re-enactments of famous and infamous women in history, including Susan B. Anthony, who fought for women's right to vote.

Collier said Anthony would tell Florida voters to, "Get your butt in there and vote." And to women who don't vote she would say:

"You are missing an opportunity. And if you don't vote, who knows? Maybe they'll take this opportunity away from the rest of us. Get out there and vote."

Among the primary's key races are the governorship, federal offices and numerous local elections, including nonpartisan judicial and school board races.

For those heading out to vote ...

If you're one of the many Floridians who's waited until the last chance to vote in the primary election, here's what you need to know.

The primary election doesn’t just decide party nominees. In several local elections in Florida, the primary is where voters will decide school board, municipal, judicial and county council races. They'll vote on whether to amend the Kissimmee charter to change rules on term limits and background checks.

On Election Day itself, voters must go to their local polling place. You can find that location on the voter information card that you got in the mail or on the county supervisor of elections website.

If you don’t drive, there are free rideshare groups like VoteRun that connect voters to polls on election day.

Polls close 7 p.m.

For more practical information about voting today, read Sam Stockbridge's report: What to know when you vote in the Florida primaries.

- Central Florida Public Media