Election Day In Bradenton: When, Where To Vote

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Now that early voting has ended, Bradenton-area voters head to the polls Nov. 3. Here’s everything you need to know about voting on Election Day in Manatee County.

How to Vote

When voting in person on Election Day, voters must bring a current and valid ID with their name, photo and signature. Acceptable IDs include a Florida driver’s license, a Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a United States passport, a debit or credit card, military ID or a student ID. Find a full list of acceptable IDs here.

It’s important to remember that while your voter information card has lots of useful information about your voter registration, including your assigned precinct and polling location for Election Day, it isn’t an acceptable form of ID.

If you’re not certain where you should vote, you can look up your voting precinct online here. For your vote to count, you must vote in the precinct in which you reside. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Though it’s too late to return your vote-by-mail ballot using the U.S. Postal Service, you can still drop off your mail-in ballot at the Supervisor of Elections office, located at 600 301 Blvd. W., Suite 108, in Bradenton on Election Day. Remember to sign your ballot and make sure that your signature matches the one you have on file with the elections office.

If you’ve requested a mail-in ballot, but would rather vote in person, you still can. Simply bring your ballot (marked or unmarked) to your polling location to turn it in. Then, you can vote using a regular ballot.

If you don’t bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you, the Supervisor of Elections’ office will need to confirm that your ballot hasn’t already been submitted and counted. If they determine it has been received, then you won’t be able to vote again. If you think the office is incorrect or if it can’t be determined if your mail-in ballot was received, you can request a provisional ballot.

If you’ve already voted by mail, check the status of your ballot online here.

Changes to Polling Stations

Several polling locations have changed in this year’s election. So, make sure you go to the correct polling place.

These changes include:

• Precinct 103, which normally votes at Terra Ceia VIA Club, is moving to Palmetto Point Civic Association, 637 43rd Street Blvd. W., Palmetto
• Precinct 111, which normally votes at Piney Point MHP Recreation Hall, and Precinct 203, which normally votes at Coach House MHP, are moving to Family of God United Methodist Church, 5601 16th Ave. E., Palmetto
• Precinct 125, which normally votes at Colony Cove – Harmony Hall, is moving to New Hope Baptist Church, 9422 Old Tampa Rd., Parrish
• Precinct 211, which normally votes at Ellenton United Methodist Church, is moving to Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto
• Precinct 321, which is moving to Freedom Village – The Landings, is moving to Elks Lodge #1511, 2511 75th St. W., Bradenton
• Precinct 325, which normally votes at G.T. Bray Park, is moving to Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 5115 Cortez Rd. W., Bradenton
• Precinct 403, which normally votes at South Manatee Library, is moving to IMG Academy Golf Club Dining Hall, 4350 El Conquistador Pkwy., Bradenton
• Precinct 405, which normally votes at Trailer Estates Auditorium, and Precinct 407, which normally votes at Midway Church of Christ, are moving to Bayshore Gardens Recreation Center, 6919 26th St. W., Bradenton
• Precinct 411, which normally votes at Plantation Village West, Recreation Hall, is moving to Legacy Baptist Church, 415 67th Ave. W., Bradenton
• Precinct 521, which normally votes at Harvest United Methodist Church, is moving to Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch

Who and What are on the Ballot?

Bradenton-area voters can find sample ballots with a complete list of candidates – including federal, statewide, countywide and municipal races – as well as proposed constitutional amendments for all Florida voters online here. Below are a few of the key races you might see on your ballot.

President and Vice President

• Joseph R. Biden, President and Kamala D. Harris, Vice President - Democrat
• Donald J. Trump, President and Michael R. Pence, Vice President - Republican
• Jo Jorgensen, President and Jeremy F. "Spike" Cohen, Vice President – Libertarian

Representative in Congress, District 16

• Vern Buchanan, Republican
• Margaret Good, Democrat

Manatee Board of County Commissioners, District 1

• Dominique Shauntel Brown, Democrat
• James A. Satcher, Republican

Manatee Board of County Commissioners, District 3

• Matthew J. Bower, No Party Affiliation
• Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Republican

Manatee Board of County Commissioners, District 5

• Vanessa A. Baugh, Republican
• Carol Ann Felts, Write-in
• Chris Gilbert, Write-in

Manatee Board of County Commissioners, District 7, At Large

• Thomas Whitten Dell, Write-in
• George W. Kruse, Republican

Manatee County Supervisor of Elections

• Michael S. Bennett, Republican
• Charles William, Jr., Democrat

Constitutional Amendments

Amendment 1: Provides that only U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old, a permanent resident of Florida and registered to vote may vote in a Florida election.

Amendment 2: Raises Florida’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.

Amendment 3: Allows all registered voters to vote in primaries for state legislature, governor and cabinet regardless of political party affiliation.

Amendment 4: Requires proposed amendments or revisions to Florida’s constitution be approved in two elections.

Amendment 5: Increase the period of time accrued Save-Our-Homes benefits may be transferred from a prior homestead to a new homestead from two to three years.

Amendment 6: Allows a homestead property tax discount to be transferred to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran.

For more information about the 2020 elections, check out the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website.