New ‘I Voted’ Stickers, New Ballot Tracking, Polling Changes, For 2026

July 8, 2026

With a critical primary election next month, Escambia County is rolling out voter-experience and tech upgrades designed to boost turnout and secure the vote. Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender unveiled a suite of new initiatives on Tuesday, putting a spotlight on a major overhaul to vote-by-mail transparency and a highly anticipated, patriotic redesign of the iconic “I Voted” sticker.

The sweeping changes come at a vital time. Bender emphasized that during the last primary, a staggering 75% of registered voters stayed home. He is pushing hard to reverse that trend for the August 18, 2026 primary, noting that critical, final decisions will be made that day—including a countywide referendum on whether the school superintendent should be elected or appointed, key school board races, and the City of Pensacola mayor’s race, which could be decided outright.

Knowing Where Your Ballot Is: Next-Level Vote-by-Mail Tracking

In a major victory for voter peace of mind, Escambia County has spent the last 15 months completely revamping its vote-by-mail system. The county has officially become only the fourth in Florida to implement intelligent mail barcode tracking for both outbound and inbound ballots.

Unlike previous cycles where the office could only verify if a ballot was mailed, this new system allows staff and voters to track the exact location of the envelope through the USPS network. To maximize the impact of this tech, every vote-by-mail voter will now be automatically enrolled in Ballot Track, a text and email notification service that gives real-time delivery updates.

Visually, the ballots are getting a makeover, too. A bright yellow coating has been added to the back of the vote-by-mail envelope to contrast with its green front. This ensures the ballot stands out in a pile of mail and draws immediate attention to the critical voter signature area.

The office already has more than 22,000 vote-by-mail requests on file—roughly half of the total requests from the historic 2024 general election. Voters are reminded that requests must be renewed every cycle, though anyone who submitted a request for the 2025 special elections is already covered through November 2026. Bender strictly clarified that the barcode only tracks the paper envelope to secure its journey, not the vote itself.

The America 250 “I Voted” Sticker

To celebrate the upcoming national milestone, the elections office is tying its 2026 branding to the America 250 celebration.

A newly redesigned “I Voted” sticker for 2026 features a historic tall ship representing 1776 alongside a sleek, modern sailboat representing 2026, set against a backdrop of celebratory fireworks. In an exciting shift from past protocols, these limited-edition stickers won’t just be handed out at physical polling places; they will also be packed directly into every single vote-by-mail packet so that every voter can wear their pride. The office plans to use this exclusive design through the November election before returning to its standard sticker in 2028.

Honoring Veteran Poll Workers

Bender noted the county expects to deploy more than 600 election workers to keep things running smoothly. In partnership with the Vet the Vote initiative, the office surveyed its workforce and discovered that roughly 45% of its poll workers identify as veterans or come from military families.

To honor this dedication, these specific workers will be given a special commemorative pin featuring the Vet the Vote 250th anniversary logo and the office’s 2026 motto: “Honoring service through service.”

Polling Place Location Changes

While the infrastructure is gearing up for high efficiency, voters should also prepare for minor polling place shifts. The elections office confirmed that 10 polling locations are changing across the county this cycle due to a mix of construction, permanent realignments, and temporary relocations.

Permanent Changes

Voters in the following precincts will be mailed a notice of Permanent Polling Location Change and a new Voter Information Card for the following locations:

  • Precinct 5 (Former Location – Wilde Lake Church): New Location – Klondike Church of Pensacola, 7201 Klondike Road, Pensacola
  • Precinct 49 (Former Location – Grace Lutheran/CareerSource Escarosa): New Location – Asbury Place, 5725 North 9th Avenue, Pensacola
  • Precinct 77 (Former Location – Pensacola State College, Warrington): New Location – Lexington Terrace Community Center, 700 South Old Corry Field Road, Pensacola
  • Precinct 98 (Former Location – St. John Divine Baptist Church): New Location – Bethel AME Church, 511 Woodland Drive, Pensacola
  • Precinct 101 (Former Location – Plainview Baptist Church): New Location – Hadji Temple, 800 Nine Mile Road, Pensacola
  • Precinct 106 (Former Location – Grace Lutheran/CareerSource Escarosa): New Location – Holy Cross Episcopal Church, 7979 North 9th Avenue, Pensacola

Temporary Changes for 2026

Voters will be mailed a notice of Temporary Polling Location Change at least 14 days before each election for the following locations:

  • Precinct 14 (Permanent Location – Fricker Resource Center): Temporary Location – Main Library, 239 North Spring Street, Pensacola
  • Precinct 70 (Permanent Location – Burgess Road Baptist Church): Temporary Location – Pensacola Christian College, 115 St. John, Pensacola

Changes from 2025 Special Election

A reminder that the following precincts were permanently changed during the 2025 Special Election:

  • Precinct 22 (Former Location – Century Town Hall): New Location – Billy G. Ward Century Courthouse, 7500 N Century Blvd., Century
  • Precinct 24 (Former Location – Warrington Church): New Location – St. John’s Episcopal Church, 401 Live Oak Ave., Pensacola

Returning to Precinct

After being at the Main Library for the 2024 and 2025 Elections, Precinct 31 is returning to its permanent location at Christ Church.

  • Precinct 31: Christ Church Pensacola, 18 W. Wright St., Pensacola

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments





Have a comment on this story?

We welcome your comments on this story, but there are some rules to follow::

(1) Be Nice. No comments that slander another, no racism, no sexism, no personal attacks.

(2) No Harrassing Comments. If someone says something bad about you, don't respond. That's childish.

(3) No Libel. That's saying something is not true about someone. Don't do it.

(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions. Period.

(5) NorthEscambia.com reserves the right to remove any comments that violate our rules or we think to be inappropriate. We are not responsible for what is posted. Comments may not appear right away until they are approved by a moderator.

(6) Limit your comments to the subject in this story only, and limit comments to 300 words or less. Do not post copyrighted material. Comments will not be added to stories that are over 30 days old.

(7) No posts may advertise a commercial business, political candidate or political group, or link to another commercial web site or political site of any kind.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP 

  NEfb