Check your voting status soon for 2026 elections

If you plan to vote in 2026, now is a good time to check your voting status to ensure your vote counts.

Fernandina Beach voters should remember that voting on city issues is now held on the Florida state primary voting day, which this year is Aug. 18. Besides voting on statewide primary races, Fernandina Beach voters will be asked to vote on one city commission race and on a referendum regarding paid parking in the city’s downtown area.

Registered Fernandina Beach residents vote on city commissioner races on the date of the Florida state primary if more than two candidates are running for a seat, as is the case this year for seat four. Another open seat, seat five, has attracted only one unopposed candidate, so that election will take place on Nov. 3.

For the Aug. 18 election, the following deadlines are in effect:

• Final day to register to vote or change party affiliation is July 20
• A mail-in ballot must be requested by 6
• Nassau County early voting runs from 6 to 15

Check your voter registration number

Voters may also wish to go to the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections website to check their voter registration number. In July 2024, the state implemented a new driver’s license and ID card process. The new driver’s license and ID card renewal/replacement process churns out a random ID number. But that new number may not match the ID number on your voter registration.

If the numbers don’t match, voters could be forced to wait in a separate line at polling places to confirm their identification before casting a ballot. The glitch could slow the voting process and cause long waits in lines for future elections.

You can go to Vote Nassau and click the "Am I Registered?" button. That will open a page that says Check My Voter & Ballot Status, where you can update your voter registration.

This spring, the Florida Legislature passed HB 991 that, if eventually implemented, will automatically send updated driver’s license numbers to the state’s supervisors of elections, says Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Janet Adkins. However, the controversial law, dubbed the SAVE Act, also requires documentary proof of citizenship to vote. The law is not slated to take effect until 2027 — and it is facing numerous lawsuit challenges to bar future implementation.

Regardless of the status of HB 991, Nassau County has already implemented steps to make sure that voters who appear at polling places with mismatched driver’s license are able to vote, Adkins says. “I don’t think [mismatched numbers] is going to be an issue. We encourage voters to reach out to us to ensure they can vote.”

Adkins urges voters to go to the county elections website and check your address and updated driver’s license number. If you vote by mail, it’s also important to update your signature every few years, she says.

“You can do that by completing a new voter registration application,” Adkins explains. “Many people have a ‘hurry up’ signature and a nice signature. We check every single signature, and if doesn’t match, you will hear from our office. We will work to cure that problem.”

It’s a good idea to take a picture of the signature on your voter application, she says. “That is the signature we will use. We will compare that signature on the envelope with what’s on your voter registration application.”

Participate in the process

The county is accepting applications to become an election worker. Applications are available on the Vote Nassau website. Florida law requires that election workers attend training before each election. Election workers are paid positions (hourly rate).

Make a plan to vote, Adkins advises. Understand the candidates, issues and deadlines. Know your polling location. You can find that information as well as sample ballots on the Vote Nassau website. You can also check your vote-by-mail status.

Adkins and her staff take pride in executing efficient and secure elections. Recently, her office received new, upgraded equipment for tabulating ballots.

“The old equipment was nearing the end of its life,” she says. “If it broke, we would have difficulty getting replacement parts. It’s important we stay up to date with our technology and equipment. We want elections to run smoothly for voters.”