Voting in Tallahassee and Leon County

Every ballot cast in Tallahassee, for city commission, county commission, school board, state and federal races alike, is handled by one office: the Leon County Supervisor of Elections. The city does not run its own elections. The Supervisor is Mark S. Earley, and the office works out of the Leon County Elections Center at 2990-1 Apalachee Parkway, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to LeonVotes.gov.

The rolls are sizable. On October 9, 2026 the Supervisor's office reported 184,618 active registered voters in Leon County: 88,254 Democrats, 54,674 Republicans and 41,690 voters registered with other parties or none. Those numbers matter in a closed primary state, since party registration decides which partisan primaries a voter sees.

City races follow their own calendar. The City Commission page explains that the mayor and commissioners serve four-year terms, staggered so that two seats are elected in presidential years and two other seats plus the mayor in midterm years. Supervisor Earley told the Tallahassee Democrat in August 2026 that city residents would have city commission seats and the mayor's race to vote on whatever their party affiliation. Last verified: October 9, 2026, on the City of Tallahassee website.

The requirements are set by the state. The Leon County registration page lists them: an American citizen, a Florida resident and at least 18 years old, with 16 and 17 year olds allowed to pre-register so their registration turns active on their 18th birthday. Registration is open all year, but to vote in an election a person must be registered 29 days before that election. For the November 3, 2026 General Election that deadline was October 5, 2026, so it has already passed for this cycle.

There are four routes. Most people register online at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov with a Florida driver's license or ID card number and the last four digits of a Social Security number. Paper applications can be mailed to the Supervisor's post office box in Tallahassee. Registration is also offered when getting a license or ID card from the state motor vehicles agency or the Leon County Tax Collector, and in person at the elections office, public libraries, FAMU CeDAR, the FSU Office of Accessibility Services and Tallahassee State College Student Accessibility Services.

Party choice is optional, but it has consequences in Leon County primaries. Florida is a closed primary election state, so only registered Democrats can vote in Democratic primaries and only Republicans in Republican ones. Nonpartisan races also appear on every Leon County primary ballot and are open to all voters, and when all candidates for an office share one party and the primary winner takes the seat, the race is open to all voters as a universal primary.

Leon County runs more early voting than Florida law requires. The Early Voting page notes that state law sets a minimum of eight days, and Leon County offers more. For the 2026 General Election, early voting runs Monday, October 19 through Sunday, November 1. For the August primary it ran August 8 to August 16.

There are 10 Early Voting sites in Leon County, and any registered county voter can use any of them. Two keep shorter or longer hours: the Leon County Courthouse at 301 South Monroe Street is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Elections Center on Apalachee Parkway 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The other eight are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: the Northeast Branch Library on Thomasville Road, the Dr. B.L. Perry Jr. Branch Library on South Adams Street, the Eastside Branch Library on Pedrick Road, the FAMU Efferson Student Union, the FSU Student Union on Woodward Avenue, the Fort Braden Community Center on Blountstown Highway, the Lake Jackson Community Center on North Monroe Street and the Woodville Community Center on Old Woodville Road.

Each site has a Secure Ballot Intake Station for returning mail ballots during early voting hours. A voter who moved into Leon County from another Florida county and never updated the address can fix the record at an early voting site and vote the same day. Photo ID is required; a voter without acceptable ID can still cast a provisional ballot.

Any Leon County voter can ask for a mail ballot, but requests do not carry over forever. The Tallahassee Democrat explained in August 2026 that all vote-by-mail ballots expire at the end of each election year under changes to Florida law, so voters who asked for one in 2024 had to ask again in 2026. The Dates and Deadlines page sets the 2026 General Election request deadline at October 22; requests go through LeonVotes.gov or by phone at 850-606-8683.

Returning the ballot has a hard stop. The Leon County Vote-by-Mail page says the office must receive the ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day for it to count, and the U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing it at least a week ahead. The Supervisor prepays return postage, so no stamp is needed. Ballots can also be dropped at the Elections Center during business hours or at the intake station at any early voting site during early voting, but not at an Election Day polling place. BallotTrax sends text or email notices when a ballot is mailed, received and counted.

The envelope signature is checked against the signature on file. If it is missing or does not match, the Leon County office contacts the voter, who can fix it with a signed affidavit and a copy of ID until 5 p.m. on the Thursday after Election Day. A voter who has not yet returned a mail ballot can still vote in person instead.

Election Day voting is neighborhood-based. The Election Day page says polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., anyone in line at 7 p.m. may still vote, and every voter must go to the assigned neighborhood polling place shown on the voter information card or the Supervisor's online lookup. For 2026 the dates are Tuesday, August 18 for the primary and Tuesday, November 3 for the general election. If an emergency keeps a Leon County voter from the polling place, emergency voting is offered at the Elections Center from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Getting there has had help. In 2024, the Tallahassee Democrat reported, the City of Tallahassee again ran StarMetro fixed-route buses and Dial-A-Ride fare-free on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5. The 2026 general carries extra weight for city voters: the Democrat reported on August 1, 2026 that the mayor's office is open with Mayor John Dailey stepping down after two terms, and that races with many candidates could end in runoffs on November 3.

College students in Tallahassee move often, and the Supervisor's student voter page answers their most common question directly. A student living in Leon County can register here even while using a parents' address for other documents or paying out-of-state tuition, and students living on campus may give their dormitory or residence hall name as the address. Alternatively, a student can stay registered back home and vote by mail.

The catch is Election Day. Both FAMU and FSU host early voting at their student unions, and during early voting any Leon County voter can vote there. On Election Day, state law sends every voter to the neighborhood polling place, and for most students that is not on campus, so the office urges students to use the campus early voting sites. Address changes within Florida can be made up to and including Election Day, though updating at the polls usually means a longer line.