Hernando County Posts Official 2026 General Election Notice in English, Spanish

Supervisor of Elections Denise LaVancher posted the official Notice of the 2026 General Election on the Hernando County elections website on March 23, 2026, making English and Spanish PDF versions of the notice publicly available. The posting came three days after Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd signed and issued the statewide notice, which bears the date of March 20, 2026, and carries the Great Seal of the State of Florida.

The Secretary of State's notice formally declares that a General Election will be held in Hernando County on November 3, 2026. Voters who need to register or change their party affiliation ahead of the general election have until October 5, 2026, and the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is October 22, 2026. The mandatory early voting period runs October 24 through 31, 2026.

The ballot will be unusually dense by local standards. At the federal and statewide level, Hernando County voters will decide races for United States Senator, Representative in Congress in District 12, and the full slate of Florida Cabinet offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Commissioner of Agriculture. State Representative seats in Districts 52 and 53 are also on the ballot.

The judicial docket is the longest section of the notice. Eleven groups on the Circuit Court of the Fifth Judicial Circuit are up for election: Groups 2, 3, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 24, 26, 27, and 28. County Judge Group 2 is also included.

Closer to home, County Commissioner seats in Districts 2 and 4 and School Board seats in Districts 1, 3, and 5 will be contested. Four community development districts round out the ballot: Southern Hills Plantation 1 CDD seats 1, 2, and 5; Southern Hills Plantation 2 CDD seats 2 and 4; Spring Ridge CDD seats 1, 2, and 5; and Sterling Hill CDD seats 1, 2, and 3.

Qualifying for federal, judicial, and select other offices opens at noon on April 20, 2026, and closes at noon on April 24, 2026, with the Division of Elections beginning to accept qualifying documents on April 6. The primary election is scheduled for August 18, 2026.

The bilingual format of the county posting reflects the office's outreach priorities. LaVancher has stated her goal is to "continue with the integrity of the electoral process through empowering each voter and take it to the next level with outreach for continuing education." The English and Spanish PDFs are available on the Hernando County elections website at hernandovotes.gov, and the office can be reached at 352-754-4125.