Election 2026

Formal qualifying opened at noon Monday for those running in Florida for governor, the three Cabinet offices, all 120 state House seats and 21 state Senate seats.

Governor Ron DeSantis, on Monday, signed into law Florida’s new congressional district map approved by the state legislature in last week’s special session. Just hours later, lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the new map were filed. FGCU Political Science Professor Sandra Pavelka, Ph.D., and UCF Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., weigh in on what this means for candidates and voters, and what’s next for the Florida legislature.

The League of Women Voters of Lee County is hosting a free, public forum on Feb. 7, about a ballot referendum in the fall election that would change how county commission elections are decided and switch to a single-member district voting.

In an election, Feb. 3, Naples voters elected a former city councilmember and two newcomers to the Naples City Council from a pool of eight candidates. Ted Blankenship, John Krol, and Scott Schultz are set to be sworn in on Feb. 18.

Ahead of the Feb. 3, 2026, Naples City Council election, the League of Women Voters of Collier Council organized a candidate forum for all eight candidates seeking three open seats on the council. We’ll hear a condensed broadcast of the forum moderated by Naples Daily News Executive Editor Wendy Fullerton Powell and WGCU’s John Davis.