Miami-Dade County starts mailing more than 200,000 vote-by-mail ballots Thursday for the Nov. 3 general election, according to the Miami-Dade Elections Department.
Key Biscayne voters will find a packed local ballot. Five candidates are competing for three at-large Village Council seats, and a citizen-driven charter referendum would require majority voter approval before the village spends more than $50 million on stormwater or flood-prevention projects over three fiscal years, according to Florida Politics.
The referendum traces back to the canceled "Big Dig" stormwater project, which the village abandoned after spending about $8 million, Political Cortadito reported. The village clerk certified the citizen petition June 5.
Council race and Miami bond questions on ballot
Incumbents Oscar Sardiñas and Fernando Vazquez are seeking reelection. They face Claire Amerena London, former council member Luis "Lucho" de la Cruz and educator Silvia Tarafa. The top three vote-getters win four-year terms. The Biscayne Bay Beacon reported on the full field Tuesday.
Coconut Grove residents voting in the city of Miami will also face three ballot questions. They include up to $450 million in general obligation bonds for police and fire facilities, a permanent bond oversight committee and a 45-year lease of roughly 27.5 acres on Virginia Key for marina redevelopment.
Key dates for registration and early voting
- Oct. 5 — Voter registration deadline
- 5 p.m. Oct. 22 — Last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot
- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 19 through Nov. 1 — Early voting at any of 28 countywide locations
- 7 p.m. Nov. 3 — Election Day; ballots must be received, not just postmarked, by this time
How to return your mail ballot
Under Florida law, vote-by-mail requests must be renewed each election cycle. Voters who requested a ballot should confirm their request is active. The U.S. Postal Service will not forward a ballot to another address; anyone who needs a ballot sent elsewhere must submit a signed Statewide Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request Form.
Return postage is prepaid this cycle. During early voting, completed mail ballots can be dropped at a secure intake station at any early voting site. On Election Day, mail ballots may be returned by 7 p.m. to Elections Headquarters in Doral or the Elections Branch Office at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center. They cannot be dropped off at Election Day polling places.
Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia said Wednesday at a joint news conference with Broward and Palm Beach election officials that 1 in 4 registered Florida voters lives in the three counties. "We can and must do better in the general election," Garcia said, as reported by The Palm Beach Post.
Miami-Dade will operate 755 precincts and 516 polling locations on Election Day. No early voting site on Key Biscayne has been announced; voters can check the nearest location at VoteMiamiDade.gov or call 305-499-8444.
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