15 candidates are on the November 3, 2026 ballot across 7 Polk County races, led by the Polk County Commission District 4 contest; 4 more races were decided at the primary.
Candidate roster last updated Sep 6, 2026 from official election sources. Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateFlorida
Races Listed11
Profiles22
Polk County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
This race was not on the August 18 ballot: with only a qualified write-in opposing him, Omar Arroyo appears on the November 3 ballot against a write-in line, per the Supervisor of Elections.
Omar Arroyo · Republican▾
Arroyo founded a construction company after moving to Haines City in 2001 and became a Florida-certified building contractor, per the campaign site. He served as Haines City's first Hispanic commissioner, vice mayor, and mayor before running for Polk County Commission District 4, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Public safety and support for law enforcement · Economic development, job creation, and lower taxes · Infrastructure investment and affordable housing (per the campaign site)
Raised $99,245 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Elisha Gresham has filed as a write-in in Polk County Commission District 4, per Supervisor of Elections filings. Write-in names are not printed on Florida ballots; voters write the name in the space provided. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
August 18 result: no candidate won a majority, so Kate Wallace (45.1 percent, 39,265 votes) and Victor Sims (35.8 percent, 31,212) advance to a November 3 runoff, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results.
Victor Sims▾
Sims is a former foster youth who spent over a decade in the foster care system, per the campaign site. He has built his career as a social worker advocating for children and families and is running for Polk County School Board District 3, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Access to quality education, per LkldNow's race coverage · Backing educators and teacher retention, per LkldNow and The Citrus Tea · Transparent data on student progress, per The Citrus Tea questionnaire
Raised $15,862.48 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Wallace was appointed to the Polk County School Board in 2025 by Governor Ron DeSantis and works as director of state government affairs for Spectrum in Florida, per the campaign site. She previously served as founding executive director of Lakeland Leads, now ConnectED Polk, and has worked on education reform in nine states through the Foundation for Excellence in Education, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Raising student academic achievement, per LkldNow and The Citrus Tea · Modernizing teacher compensation to recruit and retain educators, per LkldNow's race coverage · Parental visibility into curriculum, per The Citrus Tea questionnaire
Colleen Burton (Republican), Alfred Reynolds (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida Senate District 12; Colleen Burton is the sitting member, per the Florida Senate' official roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Colleen Burton · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Colleen Burton is the Republican incumbent representing Florida Senate District 12, according to the Florida Senate. She previously served as a nonprofit executive director for Polk Vision and the Imperial Symphony Orchestra and in the Florida House from 2014 to 2022. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Alfred Reynolds is a Democratic candidate for Florida Senate District 12 in Polk County. He works as a law study professor and previously served as a juvenile probation officer, law enforcement officer, and adjunct professor in Vermont, according to his campaign site. He is a U.S. Army Reserve veteran and the author of a 2021 book on child soldiers. He faces incumbent Republican Sen. Colleen Burton in the general election, per the News Service of Florida.
Priorities: Education, including low graduation rates and teacher retention · Affordable housing amid rising rental costs · Mental health services (per the campaign site)
Jonathan Albert (Republican), Alethea Pugh (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida House District 48; Jonathan Albert is the sitting member, per the Florida House of Representatives' official roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Jonathan Albert · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Jonathan Albert is the Republican incumbent representing Florida House District 48, according to the Florida House of Representatives. He is a business owner and Marine Corps veteran who previously served as mayor of Frostproof from 2020 to 2024. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Alethea Pugh is the Democratic candidate for Florida House District 48 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, according to the Florida Division of Elections certified candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Robert Anzalone (Democratic), Jennifer Kincart Jonsson (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida House District 49; Jennifer Kincart Jonsson is the sitting member, per the Florida House of Representatives' official roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Robert Anzalone · Democratic▾
Robert Anzalone, 33, is a Lakeland Democrat who spent most of his life in Hernando County before moving to Bartow and then Lakeland, according to The Ledger. He is a candidate for Florida House District 49, campaigning on stronger schools, affordable healthcare and accountable leadership.
Priorities: Supporting working families · Stronger public schools · Affordable healthcare (per The Ledger)
Jennifer Kincart Jonsson is the Republican incumbent representing Florida House District 49, first elected in 2024, according to the Florida House of Representatives. She works as an executive and holds health science and public health degrees from the University of Florida. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Jennifer Canady (Republican), Ricky Santiago (Democratic), Jarvis Washington (No Party Affiliation) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida House District 50; Jennifer Canady is the sitting member, per the Florida House of Representatives' official roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Jennifer Canady · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Jennifer Canady is the Republican incumbent representing Florida House District 50, according to the Florida House of Representatives. She works as a teacher and chairs the House Education and Employment Committee. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Ricky Santiago owns an architecture design business, Stoneforam Designs, and is the Democratic candidate for Florida House District 50 in Polk County. He came to Lakeland from Puerto Rico as a teenager and earned a degree in electronics technology from Traviss Technical College, per Lakeland Today. He is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Jennifer Canady.
Priorities: Cost of living, wages, and affordable housing · Opposing immigration enforcement based on ethnicity or without warrants · Returning decision-making power to the community level (per the campaign site)
Jarvis Washington is the No Party Affiliation candidate for Florida House District 50 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Octavio E. Hernandez (Democratic), Hilary Holley (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida House District 51; Hilary Holley is the sitting member, per the Florida House of Representatives' official roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Octavio E. Hernandez · Democratic▾
Octavio E. Hernandez is a high school algebra teacher and union member who was born in Mexico City and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in 2015, according to his campaign and Yahoo News. He is a Democratic candidate for the open Florida House District 51 seat, having previously run for the district in 2024.
Priorities: Making Polk County a better place for working families, per the campaign site
Hilary Holley is the Republican incumbent representing Florida House District 51, elected in a March 2026 special election, according to LkldNow. She serves as executive director of the Florida FFA Foundation.
Priorities: Addressing Florida's property insurance and affordability crisis · Stopping overdevelopment in Polk County · School choice for parents (per the campaign site)
DECIDED August 18: Rick Wilson won this universal primary, open to all voters, 51.1 percent (43,733 votes) to Kelly Quinn's 48.9 percent (41,850), per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results; the primary decided the seat.
DECIDED August 18: incumbent Kay Fields won outright with 57.3 percent (50,007 votes) over Sam Neelam, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.
DECIDED August 18: Justin Sharpless won outright with 67.4 percent (57,754 votes) over Kasen Hampton, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.
Lisa Miller drew no opponent, so under Florida law she is deemed elected and this race will NOT appear on your August 18, 2026 ballot, per LkldNow's coverage of her unopposed reelection.
Lisa Miller✓ won the seat
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests. Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot.
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Polk County
Each ZIP page previews the statewide and congressional races for that ZIP; add a street address in the lookup for county and city contests.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
