Two nonpartisan voter guides are now available for Sarasota and Manatee county voters ahead of the General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Each guide is split into two parts: a shared section covering statewide, federal and judicial races plus all three constitutional amendments, and a county-specific section covering local races and ballot questions. Sarasota’s guide includes County Commission, School Board, the Charter Review Board, municipal races in Sarasota, Venice and North Port, CDD seats and local questions. Manatee’s guide covers County Commission, Bradenton City Council, the Mosquito Control District and the Bradenton charter referendums.
There’s one change this cycle that catches a lot of people: vote-by-mail requests reset after 2024. If you’ve been receiving a mail ballot automatically, that arrangement doesn’t carry over. You need to submit a new request to vote by mail this cycle. The guides also include voter registration deadlines, early voting dates and locations, vote-by-mail instructions and Election Day polling information, so you can build your whole voting plan in one sitting.
Keep in mind that these guides are reference aids, not official ballots. Before you vote, confirm your precinct, your district races and the exact wording of any ballot question with your county Supervisor of Elections. With a long ballot and different races in each county, a few minutes of local research goes a long way. So which local race on your ballot do you know the least about right now?
