Election Day Is Here, Polls Are Open
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — The polls are open across the state where a light voter turnout is expected in the state's primary election on Tuesday.
Voters have a wide variety of issues to vote on but no one in Miami-Dade county should have to fill out a ballot any longer than the front and back of a single page, according to the elections department.
Essentially, the 133 contests and questions that the elections department has to deal with will boil down to fewer than 10 for the average voter.
That's because even though there are 77 Republicans and Democrats running for their executive committees, a resident only has to cast a vote for the one in his or her district. Same goes for state legislators, school board members and county commissioners.
Voters countywide will be casting ballots for judges, a property appraiser, a party executive committee member, Miami-Dade mayor and whether or not they want to repeal the county's 23-year ban on pit bulls.
Tuesday's ballot will also include races for seats in Congress, state House and Senate, county school board and county commission.
The Miami-Dade Elections Department reports that 38,654 voters took advantage of early voting for the primary. They add that of the 164,000 absentee ballots that were requested and sent out, approximately 85,000 have been returned. Absentee ballots will continue to be accepted via mail and in person until 7:00 p.m. at the Elections Department, 2700 NW 87th Avenue in Doral, and at the Voter Information Center in the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street in downtown Miami.
Voters who plan to vote in person today should keep in mind these points:
- Regardless of party affiliation, all registered voters are eligible to participate in this election.
- Voters must vote at their assigned polling place listed on their voter information card. Any voter who is unsure of where to vote should go to the Elections Department website or call 3-1-1.
- Voters must provide identification that contains both a photo and signature in order to vote. Acceptable forms of ID include driver's license (or ID card issued by a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles), United States passport, employee badge, military or student ID card, buyer's club ID card, and retirement center or neighborhood association ID card. If the picture identification does not contain a signature, an additional identification with a signature will be required. While the Voter Information Card is not required to vote, it can help expedite the check-in process, so bringing it is always encouraged.
- Polls are open until 7:00 p.m. In the event of lines at polling places, any eligible voter who is in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
If you don't have photo identification, ask for a provisional ballot, which is then passed along to the canvassing board to match up with any signature it has on file to count your vote.
For more details about candidates in individual races, click here.
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