Thousands Of Dade Voters Head To The Polls
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A steady trickle of voters made their way in and out of polling sites across Miami-Dade County on Tuesday.
"I really like to come here. I'm a citizen and I'm really proud to vote for the United States," said voter Leyla Simsic.
No issues were reported in Miami-Dade County.
Officials said roughly 40% of voters headed to the polls.
Voters who spoke to CBS4 said they had no trouble reading and understanding the ballot.
"Even though I have bad eyesight, I read it plainly. The letters were big enough for me to see it," said voter Mike Hernandez.
CLICK HERE To Watch Gary Nelson's Report
Many voters were drawn to their precincts because of the governor's race, though some weren't pleased with the options.
CBS4's Gary Nelson asked Miami-Dade voter Frank Yanes what was most on his mind when he voted.
"Voting against any of Obama's policies," said Yanes. "I did not vote for Charlie Crist. I voted for Rick Scott."
"I wish there was somebody else that I would really like, but I went my way," laughed voter Mayra Hernandez.
Hernandez took her time reading over the ballot. Her biggest concern was Amendment 2, the medical marijuana proposal.
Miami-Dade elections managers said voters at any of the 812 Miami-Dade precincts have had a problem-free process overall. This is in part thanks to some technical experts.
One example was a tech's quick thinking at Hialeah Fire Station 2. When a machine stopped accepting ballots, the technician managed to reboot the machine and keep the voting going strong.
That tech said there were 100 technicians patrolling the county in supply trucks stocked with everything from pencils to replacement machines.
As hard as it is to keep the polls open, it's an even more tedious process to shut down the ballot machines when the polls close.
Election workers take out a bin containing the ballots, eject a thumb drive, print a receipt of the results, seal the bin and an elections specialist drives everything to a regional collection center. A data tech then transmits the results to headquarters using a phone line.
But it is this democratic voting process many Americans hold dear.
"It really counts, it makes a big difference," said Simsic.
In 2014, more than 518,000 ballots were cast in Miami-Dade County compared to 499,963 in 2010. That is roughly a 19-thousand vote increase.
For voting locations in Miami-Dade County, click here.
For voting locations in Broward County, click here.
For voting locations in Monroe County, click here.
Absentee ballots can be dropped off at election headquarters until 7 p.m.
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