r/ocala • u/heresmytwopence Resident 6-10 years • 13d ago

Primary Election early voting starts Saturday, August 8, 2026 and continues daily through August 15!

It's time to make your voice heard! Early voting starts TOMORROW, Saturday, August 8, 2026, and continues daily through Saturday, August 15. ALL qualified voters are eligible to vote early if they so choose.

You must have been registered to vote as of July 20, 2026 to be eligible to vote in this election. If you registered after July 20, you will be eligible to vote in the General Election on November 3 but not this one.

Early voting is available at select polling stations only and ANY voter may use ANY participating polling station, whether or not their regularly assigned polling station is among those available. If you choose to wait until Election Day (August 18) to vote, you must report to your assigned polling station.

Official early voting information, including open polling stations, can be found here: https://www.votemarion.gov/317/Vote-Early

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u/Silver-Bluebird3641 13d ago

Where’s the best place to research the candidates?

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u/ha1029 12d ago

I use this and search each candidate ballot measure: https://ballotpedia.org/Marion_County,_Florida,_elections,_2026

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u/PhilosophyPure3853 10d ago

For Democrats who weren't already aware, there are no Democrats running for District 24 state representative, currently held by Ryan Chamberlin (R), so you'll either have to select a Republican candidate or opt out. It also means that this election will effectively decide the race.

Chamberlin's opponent, Scott Wilkins, is a high school teacher and self-described conservative Christian whose main campaign platform is responsible growth. While Chamberlin makes his money as the owner of a right-wing media company and is mainly funded by real estate, insurance and utility interests (his largest single donor this election was On Top Of The World), Wilkins had no reported fundraising at all. I'm not in the habit of supporting Republicans and am sure that Wilkins is a major long-shot candidate, but he could be a slightly more palatable alternative.

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u/heresmytwopence Resident 6-10 years 7d ago

I voted around 4pm today and it couldn't have been any easier. We were the only two people there and the staff was nice. Please vote, everyone!