Barefoot Bay mail-ballot requests fell 45% from the last midterm

Elections  |  November 13, 2026

Barefoot Bay mail-ballot requests fell 45% from the last midterm

Barefoot Bay turnout fell as Brevard’s rose. With two local political clubs ending their meetings this year, it’s a good time to renew your mail-ballot request and get involved.

By Rob Allan  |  The Tattler / BarefootBay.com

Floodwater still covered parts of Barefoot Bay on Election Day, Nov. 3. The Recreation District’s turnout fell from 59.7% in the 2022 midterm to 54.65% this year, while Brevard County’s turnout rose from 58.3% to 60.8%. The sharpest change showed up in the number of residents who had a mail-ballot request on file. That fell from 1,879 to 1,029, a drop of 45%. Flood coverage · 2022 requests · 2026 requests

How Barefoot Bay voted

Early in-person voting nearly doubled and made up for part of the drop in mail ballots. It ended Oct. 31, before the flood. On Election Day, 26.8% of Barefoot Bay’s registered voters went to the polls, down from 29.6% in 2022. Brevard’s Election Day rate fell from 22.6% to 20.1%. That leaves a gap of roughly three-tenths of a percentage point between the two declines. The county also dealt with flooding and polling-place moves, so the countywide comparison gives only a limited measure of how much the flood affected Barefoot Bay. 2022 voter history · 2026 turnout dashboard · 2026 election dates · Polling-place changes

Barefoot Bay Trustee results

Elaine VanBerschot (1,394 votes) and Sydne James (1,301) led the race for two seats on the Barefoot Bay Recreation District board. Jan Creitz received 908 votes.

Did Republican turnout fall?

Countywide, the preliminary numbers show it did. About 63.6% of registered Republicans voted, down from 69.3% in 2022. Democratic turnout rose from 58.4% to about 68.8%. Brevard recorded about 3,600 fewer Republican voters despite having about 12,200 more registered Republicans at the registration deadline. Those figures describe who turned out by registration, regardless of how anyone voted. 2022 voter history · 2026 turnout dashboard · Florida registration totals

In Barefoot Bay, the county’s mail-ballot reports show declines across all three registration groups. Republicans returned 132 fewer mail ballots, a decline of 28%. Democrats returned 183 fewer, a decline of 37%. The county’s nonpartisan category returned 115 fewer, a decline of 34%. These local figures cover mail voting. An overall precinct turnout breakdown by party would show whether Republican participation fell across all voting methods. 2022 mail returns by party · 2026 mail returns by party

The county’s 2022 mail-return report lists 1,314 returns. Its separate voter-history report lists 1,321 mail voters. Each table uses the figures from its corresponding report. The 2026 turnout figures are preliminary.

Florida shortened the life of a mail-ballot request

Before Florida changed its law in 2021, a standing request could cover elections through the end of the year of the second regularly scheduled general election after the request. Senate Bill 90 shortened that to the next general-election year and kept prior requests in force through the end of 2022. One request can still cover every election in the applicable period. Requests that covered the 2024 election expired at the end of that year, so voters relying on those requests had to renew to receive ballots by mail in 2026. Prior law · Senate Bill 90 as enacted · Current law · Brevard voter guide

In Barefoot Bay, the share of requested mail ballots that came back rose from about 70% to 86%. The pool of requests had already shrunk by 850, and the deadline to request a ballot by mail was Oct. 22, well before the flood. That makes the renewal rule a plausible contributor. The records leave open how many residents expected a ballot to arrive, how many chose another way to vote, and how many decided to sit out the election. Historical election reports · Current election reports

Two political clubs leave a gap in the Bay

The Democratic Women’s Club of Barefoot Bay, one of the Bay’s longest-running clubs, announced in the upcoming December issue of The Tattler that it will end its monthly meetings at the end of 2026. Its board says membership remains healthy, but fewer members are taking part in meetings and events. The announcement comes in the same year the Conservative Club stopped meeting.

A message from the Democratic Women’s Club

The Democratic Women’s Club sadly announces that the monthly club will discontinue meetings at the end of the year. The Club has a long history in the Bay and has been honored to support local, as well as statewide Democratic candidates. We have maintained a healthy membership which keeps us able to do that but, our participation level in events and monthly meetings has decreased to a level making it difficult to keep the Club running as it should. The Board would like to thank all members, current and past, that contributed to keeping the club up and running. We hope, in the future, that there will be interest in the community itself, to re-start political clubs in the Bay. They are an important contribution to both young and old in order to know what is really going on in your home state and the world, beyond.

Thank you!
The Executive Board of the Democratic Women’s Club of Barefoot Bay

What a mail-ballot request covers through 2028

If Brevard has your request on file for all elections through December 31, 2028, it covers every election you’re eligible to vote in during that period. That includes local and special elections, eligible primaries, and the 2028 general election. Check your confirmation or call the Supervisor of Elections at 321-633-2127 to confirm the end date. Florida’s mail-ballot law · Brevard mail-ballot requests

Here in the Bay. The Recreation District charter calls for trustee elections each November, so a request through 2028 covers any trustee contest on your 2027 ballot. Precinct 304 is in School Board District 3, whose next regular election is in 2028. Contested School Board races can appear on the primary ballot and may be decided there. Trustee election schedule · Precinct map · School Board election schedule · School Board ballot rules

Florida primaries. Registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their own party’s primary. Voters with no party affiliation can vote in nonpartisan races and on ballot measures that appear on their primary ballot. They can also vote in a universal primary contest when all candidates for that office are from the same party and the primary winner would face no opposition in the general election. Brevard’s guide to primary eligibility

Keep the conversation going

Both clubs gave neighbors a place to learn about candidates and talk about public issues. We can keep that going. Vote in every election you’re eligible for. Go to a trustee meeting or a candidate forum. Ask a question, listen to the answer, and give the person you disagree with a chance to finish. If you have an idea for bringing those conversations back to the Bay, share it in the comments or write to The Tattler.

Check your Brevard mail-ballot status · Request a mail ballot

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