Escambia County's August election is just days away, and Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender says this is not a race to skip. Despite the name, he's asking voters not to treat it like a typical primary.
“We’re not going to call it a primary,” Bender said, “I’m really calling it the August election. It is a primary election, but there are a lot of things that are not partisan on that ballot and things where the final decisions will be made.”
The deadlines voters can't miss
Bender walked through the timeline, and it starts sooner than most people probably realize.
"The first one that we come to is July 20,” Bender said. “That is the deadline to register or change your party affiliation. That's 29 days before the election. And then the next deadline would be the August 6th deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed. After that point, you can still come in the office and do an emergency affidavit and pick them up, but that is the last date to request a ballot to be mailed to you.”
From there, things move quickly.
“We do have early voting August 8 to August 15th,” Bender said. "So that’s Saturday to Saturday, eight days, open from 8 to 5:30. Voters can go to any one of those 10 locations. Then the August election is August 18. Precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and you have to go to your home precinct on that day.”
If you’re planning to vote by mail, Bender said not to wait until the last minute.
“The important thing, especially for vote by mail, is that it has to be in my possession by 7 pm on election night,” he said. “We do encourage voters, if they’re mailing, returning their vote-by-mail ballot, five to seven days at least before the deadline.”
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You can also drop your ballot off in person. Secure intake stations are set up at all 10 early voting sites and at the elections office itself, anytime during normal business hours until 7 pm on Election Day.
Why this "Primary" isn't just a primary
Here’s the part Bender really wants voters to understand. Because of Florida’s closed primary system, some races on this ballot won’t show up again in November. They get decided right here, in August.
“I talk about school board races, Districts 1, 2 and 3, the school board candidates,” Bender said. “Those races will be decided in the primary because there are only two candidates in each one of those races.”
Voters countywide will also weigh in on a referendum that could reshape leadership of the school district.
“We have this question to the voters, a referendum on should Escambia County School District go back to an elected superintendent versus the appointed one that they went to, with a 2018 referendum that started in 2020,” Bender said. “That is what the school board asked the county commission to do, and the county commission approved the school board’s request for that.”
Referendum questions can come with detailed, hard-to-follow wording, so Bender encourages voters to pull up their sample ballot ahead of time, mark their choices at home, and bring it into the booth as a guide.
Polling place changes
Bender also flagged some changes to polling locations that voters will want to check before heading out.
“There are a number of locations that are making changes,” Bender said. “The voters from the Fricker Center we’ve relocated to the main library... and there’s also one Precinct 70 being relocated to Precinct 110, the Gathering Place at Pensacola Christian College, for this election cycle.”
Affected voters are required by state law to get a mailed notice, Bender said, but he doesn’t want anyone to wait around for that letter to show up.
“If you go to Am I Registered?, you'll be able to see your polling location," he said.
What worries Bender most isn’t the logistics. It’s turnout. Three out of four registered voters sat out the last August primary, back in 2024.
“Every voter in Escambia County will have something to vote on, whether it be the referendum or the school board race or something for their party,” Bender said. “So I encourage everyone to come out and make sure that their voice is heard through the act of voting.”
Important dates
- July 20: Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation
- August 6: Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot
- August 8 to 15: Early voting, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, any of 10 locations
- August 18: Election Day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., home precinct only
Voter resources
**Am I Registered?: check registration, party affiliation, and vote-by-mail status
**What's On My Ballot?: view a personalized sample ballot
**Where Do I Vote?: find your polling place
**Vote By Mail: request or manage a mail ballot
**Track My Ballot: follow a mailed ballot's status
**Early Voting Locations: all 10 sites and hours
