Pinellas County voters cast 89,601 early ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, according to Florida Division of Elections data first reported by WFLA.

Republicans led the early vote count with 36,757 ballots. Democrats followed at 31,344. Another 18,757 voters with no party affiliation also voted early, along with 2,743 registered with other parties.

Those numbers set the stage for Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls open across Pinellas County for the governor's race, a U.S. Senate contest and Clearwater's first-ever City Council runoff.

Statewide picture

Across Florida, Republicans maintained their early voting lead with 1,497,472 ballots compared to 1,210,445 for Democrats, according to the Division of Elections data. That gap is smaller than in the 2022 and 2024 elections, WFLA reported.

In the 2022 midterms, 1,167,529 registered Republicans voted early statewide compared to 675,629 Democrats. In 2024, Republicans cast 2,552,609 early ballots, holding a lead of more than 1 million votes.

Non-party-affiliated voters also turned out in larger numbers. Statewide, 668,396 NPA voters cast early ballots in 2026, up from 410,227 in the 2022 midterms.

Democrats, meanwhile, lead in vote-by-mail. As of Monday morning, Democrats had returned 832,634 mail-in ballots compared to 678,784 for Republicans. Mail ballots must reach the local supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

What's on the ballot

The governor's race tops the ticket. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who won an 11-candidate primary with an endorsement from President Donald Trump, faces Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who joined the Democratic Party in 2025, WLRN reported. Jolly won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary with 61% of the vote. His running mate is former Democratic Rep. Gwen Graham.

Republican Sen. Ashley Moody defends her seat against Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon and an independent candidate. Moody was appointed to the seat in January 2025 after Marco Rubio left to become secretary of state.

Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are key statewide battlegrounds, according to WLRN. Trump narrowly won both counties in 2024, while Democrat Joe Biden narrowly carried both in 2020.

Clearwater's council runoff

Closer to home, Clearwater holds its first-ever runoff election for City Council Seat 5. Sam Wilson, 26, who works as district director for U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, faces former council member Mark Bunker, 70, according to Tampa Bay Beacons.

Wilson earned nearly 49% in the Aug. 18 primary. Bunker earned 35%. A third candidate, local business owner Kevin R. T. Laughlin, received 16%. Because no candidate won a majority, the top two advanced to the runoff.

The races are nonpartisan, but Wilson is a Republican and Bunker is a Democrat. Wilson out-raised both opponents, reporting nearly $61,000 in campaign contributions plus more than $34,000 to a political committee supporting his candidacy, Tampa Bay Beacons reported. Bunker raised more than $12,000 and does not have a political committee.

As we reported Monday, the runoff winner will be sworn in at the Nov. 19 City Council meeting, according to the city's election calendar.