Joel EngelhardtDespite Republican’s disdain for vote-by-mail, they hold a slight edge on statewide ballots cast; in Palm Beach County, more Democrats have turned out.
More than half of registered Democrats in Palm Beach County cast ballots before Election Day, voting figures show, while about 38% of Republicans have done so.
The difference is in vote-by-mail ballots, which have been disparaged by President Donald Trump. While more than 80,000 Democrats in Palm Beach County have cast ballots by mail, just 35,000 mail-in ballots came from Republicans.
- Two years ago, Republicans made up for that deficit by showing up at the polls on Election Day.
- In the 2024 presidential election, 63.5% of county voters cast a ballot before Election Day. This year, 42.2% have voted, with vote-by-mail ballots still coming in. That’s 375,800 votes cast with more than 500,000 voters still eligible to vote.
Why it matters: At stake are statewide offices, including governor and U.S. senator, and the property tax reduction Amendment 3. County races include clerk, two County Commission seats and a School Board position, plus referendums to raise $175 million for libraries, $280 million for parks and continue a supplemental school district property tax.
Statewide figures: The Republican disdain for vote-by-mail is repeated statewide, where more than 850,000 mail-in ballots from Democrats had been received by Monday afternoon but fewer than 700,000 from Republicans, who have a 1.5 million voter registration edge.
At the close of early voting, statewide turnout stood at 40%, with more than 5.4 million ballots cast. Buoyed by early in-person voting, Republicans held a slight edge, with 2.18 million ballots cast to 2 million by Democrats and 1.2 million by independent voters.
- In 2024, more than 8.1 million Floridians cast ballots before Election Day, nearly 59% of registered voters.
By the numbers:
- More than 222,000 people voted early in-person in Palm Beach County, including 88,260 Democrats and 77,525 Republicans.
- Another 153,000 ballots were cast by mail as of Monday afternoon, with 80,000 from Democrats and 38,500 from Republicans. Democrats have an 8,656 edge in registration.
- Statewide, 3.4 million early in-person votes were cast, with nearly 1.5 million from Republicans and 1.2 million from Democrats.
- Nearly 2 million mail-in ballots had been turned in, with 850,000 cast by Democrats and 693,000 cast by Republicans.
Where to vote: Election Day voters are urged to verify their assigned polling place before heading to the polls. Click here to find your precinct.
Polls moved: Flooding has forced the closure of two polling places. The Casa Rio Clubhouse in Riviera Beach has been moved to Riviera Beach Preparatory and Achievement Academy, 7071 Garden Road. The Ironhorse Country Club polling location has been moved to the North County Senior Center, 5217 Northlake Blvd.
More election coverage:
Drucker takes on tainted Caruso
Baxter vs. Waldron for County Commission District 6
Woodward vs. Calabrese for County Commission District 4
Frankel, Adeimy vie for Congress
Mast, Martin, Cooke vie for U.S. House
Roth vs. Silvers for state Senate
What’s in the proposed $280 million Palm Beach County parks bond
County library improvements are on the Nov. 3 ballot
This story is part of a statewide partnership of more than 30 nonpartisan newsrooms and universities working to help Florida voters make informed decisions in the 2026 elections. Learn more about the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership at floridaelections.org.
