Nearly 1.5 million vote-by-mail ballots are out for the November General Election, according to the Division of Elections. That number’s big, but what stands out is who’s getting, and returning, them. As of Monday, September 28, 2026, county supervisors say over 2,200 ballots have already come back, mostly from military and overseas voters.
Breaking It Down
About 660,000 of these ballots have gone to registered Democrats, 485,000 to Republicans, and 287,000 to people with no party affiliation or those in smaller parties. Republicans still hold a statewide edge; they’ve got 1.55 million more registered voters than Democrats right now, and they usually close the gap with strong in-person early turnout.
Data from Charlotte County paints an interesting picture of voter enthusiasm. Democrats, who make up just 19.1% of all local registered voters, have sent back an impressive 45.6% of returned mail ballots so far. Independents and non-affiliated voters account for 20.2% of mail ballot returns, a slight dip from their 25.9% of the electorate. Voters from minor parties have barely made a mark, at just 2.6% of returns, only three ballots.
Republicans, despite being the majority, 55% of registered voters, have sent in only 31.6% of returned ballots so far. That suggests they’re holding back, perhaps favoring later voting methods. Put in perspective, Democratic voters have returned their mail ballots at a rate over four times higher than Republicans, 0.175% to 0.042%.
Looking at past midterms helps frame the stakes: 8.3 million Floridians voted in 2018, and 7.8 million turned out in 2022. This year could follow suit, and the final day to register to vote for the November 3 election is October 5.
For more information about Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections, click here.
