VoteManatee.gov Relaunch Aims to Improve Access, Reliability Ahead of 2026 Elections
Manatee County voters will notice a redesigned and more user-friendly Supervisor of Elections website as VoteManatee.gov debuts a new layout focused on easier navigation and improved reliability ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
The updated website, which launched Dec. 17, organizes information into five main categories, allowing users to quickly locate resources by hovering over each section. A site map has also been added to the bottom of every page to further simplify navigation. While the design has changed, the website address remains the same.
Scott Farrington said the previous version of the site had become outdated and prone to crashes, particularly during periods of heavy traffic. The website had not been significantly updated since 2015 and experienced disruptions during both the 2024 primary and general elections.
Those outages were part of a broader issue affecting multiple election websites hosted by VR Systems, which provided web hosting services at the time. Following the 2024 primary election, the company cited a security logging feature that expanded rapidly under increased traffic, placing excessive strain on its systems. Once one site failed, others followed in a cascading effect.
Although problems during the general election were less severe, Manatee County has since moved its website hosting away from VR Systems. The county continues to use the company’s voter registration management system, but now relies on Spinutech for website hosting and development. Spinutech also redesigned the Manatee County government website.
Farrington noted that Manatee County is the only Supervisor of Elections office hosted by Spinutech, eliminating concerns about traffic from other jurisdictions impacting local voters. Agreements are in place to scale up service during election periods when site traffic is at its highest.
The redesigned website retains all existing voter information while allowing for future expansion, including the addition of voter statistics and enhanced election data.
In addition to the website upgrade, the Supervisor of Elections office has received 102 new tabulating machines, delivered in December at a cost of approximately $950,000. Most of the machines will be deployed at polling locations, with two designated for counting vote-by-mail ballots. All machines will be cleared of software and fitted with state-certified systems, a process expected to be completed by early next month.
Municipal elections scheduled for March 10 in the Town of Longboat Key and Trailer Estates will provide elections staff with hands-on experience with the new equipment ahead of the August primary and November general election. While the system is similar to previous models, the updated machines feature new screen layouts.
The August primary will be the first large-scale statewide election using the new systems.
Key 2026 Election Dates
Primary Election: Aug. 18
July 20: Voter registration deadline
Aug. 6: Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot
Aug. 18: Deadline to return a vote-by-mail ballot
General Election: Nov. 3
Oct. 5: Voter registration deadline
Oct. 22: Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot
Nov. 3: Deadline to return a vote-by-mail ballot
Early voting dates will be posted as elections approach at VoteManatee.gov/election-dates.
Vote-by-Mail Reminders
Vote-by-mail requests are only valid for one election cycle. Voters wishing to receive a vote-by-mail ballot for 2026 must submit a new request. Early requests help election officials plan staffing and equipment needs, thereby reducing wait times at polling places.
Voters are also encouraged to periodically review their voter information to ensure their names, addresses, and polling locations are up to date. Even small changes can lead to delays on Election Day.
Voter status can be checked at VoteManatee.gov/check-your-status, and vote-by-mail requests can be submitted at VoteManatee.gov/about-vote-by-mail.
