Election Day Is Here, Polls Are Open
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — The polls are open across South Florida for the 2012 Presidential Election.
If you haven't done your homework, it might take you a while to cast your ballot because it's really long. For most Miami-Dade voters, the ballot is 10 pages long (five pages printed front-and-back). The ballot is 12 pages long in Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and North Bay Village.
A presidential election always lead to a high turnout. That turnout was quite evident in early voting and absentee ballot voting.
In South Florida, more than 248,000 early votes were cast in Broward County, while more than 235,000 early votes were cast in Miami-Dade County.
As for absentee ballots, more than 189,000 have been cast in Miami-Dade. Elections officials said that accounts for about a third of all registered voters in the county.
In Monroe County, more than 12,000 absentee ballots have been returned, while more than 11,000 cast their vote early.
Despite chaos and confusion at Miami-Dade Election Headquarters on Sunday, Miami-Dade officials insist all 829 precincts are ready for voting Tuesday.
Voters who plan to vote in person today should keep in mind these points:
- 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.
