Volusia County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Nancy J. Miller has served as mayor of Daytona Beach Shores since 2018, per local election reporting. She is a qualified candidate for the open at-large County Council seat in the August 18, 2026 primary.

$136,421 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Mike Poniatowski spent more than four decades in Volusia County public safety as a firefighter, deputy sheriff, paramedic, flight medic, and ambulance operations director, per his campaign materials. He is a qualified candidate for the open at-large County Council seat in the August 18, 2026 primary.

$41,525 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Wendy Anderson is a biologist and environmentalist who serves on the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District board, per local election reporting. She is a qualified candidate for County Council District 1 in the August 18, 2026 primary.

$54,310 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Don Dempsey is a DeLand criminal defense attorney who began his legal career as a Volusia assistant state attorney in 1990, per his campaign site; he is the sitting District 1 council member, per the county's official roster.

$13,000 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Robins has served as the Volusia County Council District 3 councilman since 2021 and became owner and captain of Make Way Fishing Charters in 2024, per the campaign site. He worked as a Daytona Beach police officer from 2005 to 2014 in patrol, motor squad and SWAT assignments, and later owned Halifax Supply, an online firearms dealership, and Daytona Dirt Works & Danny's Dumpster, per the campaign site. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license and completed the Daytona State College Police Academy, per the campaign site.

$123,300 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Bryon White is a former Volusia County beach safety captain who spent nearly seventeen years in ocean rescue and is the founder of Yaupon Brothers American Tea, per local election reporting. He is a qualified candidate for County Council District 3 in the August 18, 2026 primary.

$26,156 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Sosa is a former Deltona city commissioner and owner of Sosa Martial Arts Inc., per the campaign site. He was born in New York, lived in Puerto Rico as a child and now lives in Deltona, per the campaign site.

$4,363 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Markle is a nurse, educator, advocate and healthcare leader with 28 years of experience, including work as an EMT, licensed practical nurse, registered nurse and legal nurse consultant, per the campaign site. He holds a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Phoenix and has served as a volunteer firefighter since 1995, per the campaign site.

$1,041 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

John Navarra, a teacher at Pine Ridge High School for more than two decades, per the Palm Coast/Ormond Beach Observer, has lived in Daytona Beach for more than 40 years and previously ran for Florida House District 28 in 2022 and 2024, per his VOTE411 responses. He serves on the city's Flooding Research Committee, per VOTE411. John Navarra appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Daytona Beach Commissioner Zone 1, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$6,485 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Monica Paris, Daytona Beach's City Commissioner for Zone 1, was born in Italy and raised in Brooklyn, New York, per the city's official website. She has lived in Daytona Beach since 2016 and was first elected to the commission in 2022, seeking a second term, per the Palm Coast/Ormond Beach Observer. Monica Paris appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Daytona Beach Commissioner Zone 1, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$6,350 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Miller has operated an accounting and tax consulting practice in Daytona Beach for nearly four decades, serving families, small business owners and retirees, per the campaign site. He is a former IRS revenue officer and previously served as a Daytona Beach city commissioner for Zone 5 from 1993 to 1995, per the campaign site. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminology from Florida State University, per the campaign site.

$4,115 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Davison Heriot appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Deltona Commission District 1, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Davison Heriot.

$2,220 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Brandy White appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Deltona Commission District 1, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Brandy White.

$1,265 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Tara D'Errico appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Deltona Commission District 3, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Tara D'Errico.

$3,000 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Christopher Bellingham, a former Army combat medic with the 10th Mountain Division who completed more than 300 combat missions across two Afghanistan deployments, is a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Specialist and founder of the Chosin Foundation, per his campaign site. He holds a B.S. in chemistry from UC Santa Barbara and a Master of Public Administration from CSU Northridge, and is pursuing a doctorate in public administration and public finance at the University of Central Florida, per the same site. Christopher Bellingham appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Deltona Commission District 5, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list.

$4,494 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Chris Nabicht is a retired Deltona deputy fire chief and fire marshal with 31 years in the department, appointed to the District 6 seat in September 2025 after previously serving 2012-2020, per Hometown News Volusia. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$10,321 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Christian O'Brien holds an MBA with an accounting focus and has financial-institution experience; a Deltona homeowner since 2021, he is the only District 6 candidate who has not previously served on the commission, per his VOTE411 responses and campaign site.

$691 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Joseph A. Catigano is the sitting Vice Mayor of Oak Hill representing Seat 3, per the City of Oak Hill. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg from 1979 to 1986, graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1993, and started a charter fishing business on Mosquito Lagoon in 1995 before relocating to Oak Hill in 2002, per his campaign site.

$2,100 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Beery is a former teacher with classroom and school administration experience, and also has business leadership experience, per the campaign site.

$52,839 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Jamie Michele Haynes holds the District 1 seat on the Volusia County School Board, where she has served since 2018 and is the board's vice chair, per the district's official board roster. She is a qualified candidate for reelection in the August 18, 2026 primary.

$23,275 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Maritza A. Vazquez is Deltona's vice mayor. The city clerk declared her non-qualified after the filing deadline, but the Supervisor of Elections says she remains on the ballot and votes for her will count unless a court rules otherwise, per Spectrum News 13 and the West Volusia Beacon. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$3,552 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Jason Voelz is a real estate agent, per Spectrum News 13. No campaign website was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jason Voelz.

$12,500 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Cleveland served in the Navy in a strategic leadership role before a career in the private sector and is currently serving as Mayor of New Smyrna Beach, per the campaign site.

$33,840 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Lisa Martin appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for New Smyrna Beach Mayor, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list.

$8,605 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Stephen P. Gensel, Jr. appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Orange City Council At-Large, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Stephen P. Gensel, Jr.

$2,841 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Sherry Pough appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Orange City Council District 3, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Sherry Pough.

$250 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Travis Sargent has worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years at Foundation Risk Partners and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, per the Ormond Beach Observer. He has served as the Zone 2 city commissioner since 2022 and is seeking a third term, per the same source. Travis Sargent appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Ormond Beach Commission Zone 2, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$3,800 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Kristin Deaton is a sales manager and loan originator at Guild Mortgage, per her Ormond Beach Observer candidate letter. She is a lifelong Ormond Beach resident and Seabreeze High School graduate who serves on the city's Crime Stoppers board, per the Observer. Kristin Deaton appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Ormond Beach Commission Zone 3, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$33,180 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Ted Rhodes is a 28-year Army veteran with service in the Iraq War who owns rental properties in Arizona, per the Ormond Beach Observer. He previously worked on three congressional campaigns and served in a public information unit while stationed in Baghdad, and moved to Ormond Beach from Phoenix, Arizona in 2022, per the same source. Ted Rhodes appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Ormond Beach Commission Zone 3, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$500 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Bobak has lived in the Ormond Beach community for nearly 28 years and has been actively involved in neighborhood issues over the past two years, per the campaign site.

$903 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Harold Briley is a real estate agent with Realty Pros Assured, per the Ormond Beach Observer. Born and raised in Ormond Beach, he served 21 years on the city's Planning Board before his election to the City Commission's Zone 4 seat in 2022, per his Observer candidate letter. Harold Briley appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Ormond Beach Commission Zone 4, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

$625 raised, per Supervisor of Elections filings.

Jake Johansson is a Republican candidate for Florida Senate District 8, covering most of Volusia County and northern Brevard County. He is a retired U.S. Navy Captain with 35 years of service, including as a Naval Flight Officer and a Pentagon and White House aide, according to his campaign site. He later served as Port Orange City Manager and currently serves on the Volusia County Council At-Large, working as a leadership consultant and small-business owner. He is running to succeed term-limited Sen. Tom Wright, per Florida Politics.

Gabriel Jude Wozniak is a lifelong Daytona Beach resident with a master's degree in Hospitality and Tourism from the University of Central Florida, per his campaign site. He chairs the Libertarian Party of Volusia County.