Does your city have an election this fall? Here’s what you need to know before you vote
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Campaign kickoff
Municipal election season is underway, with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez seeking a second term and other key races taking place in Miami-Dade County on Oct. 5 and Nov. 2. Here’s what you need to know before you vote.
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Election season is in full swing in some of Miami-Dade County’s largest municipalities. Voters will soon elect mayors, commissioners and, in one case, decide on whether the county should incorporate its 35th city.
Here’s everything you need to know about when to vote, how to register and when you should request a ballot if you plan to vote by mail.
When to vote and how to register
For Homestead’s Oct. 5 primary elections, the deadline to register has passed. But elections in Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Sunny Isles Beach and Biscayne Gardens will take place Nov. 2. Runoff elections for the Nov. 2 contests are planned for Nov. 16 should a candidate fail to get 50% or more of the vote in any race.
The deadline to register to vote on Nov. 2 is Oct. 4. Mail ballots must be requested by Oct. 23. Homestead will hold its runoff elections on Nov. 2 should any be needed, and the deadlines to register to vote and request a mail ballot are, likewise, Oct. 4 and Oct. 23, respectively.
Voters who are at least 18 years old, a citizen of the United States and live in Miami-Dade County can register to vote, though they must live within the boundaries of the respective communities holding elections in order to participate.
Voters can register or check their registration status online or may submit an application by mail by downloading a form at https://files.floridados.gov/media/704795/dsde39-english-pre-7066-20200914.pdf, printing it, signing it and mailing it or dropping it off at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department headquarters at 2700 NW 87 Avenue, Miami, FL 33172. A family member may drop off the application with a copy of the necessary ID.
When registering to vote, be sure to use a residential address. A P.O. Box or business address is only allowed as a mailing address, not as a home address.
Request a mail ballot and vote by mail
Voters who are registered to vote in Miami-Dade County may request a vote-by-mail ballot online or request a ballot by email, fax, phone or mail.
Remember that the U.S. Post Office will not forward mail ballots to a different address, so if voters want their ballots sent to an address different from the one on file with the Elections Department, they must send in a request to do so (The form can be downloaded and printed from https://www.miamidade.gov/elections/library/forms/vote-by-mail-ballot-request.pdf.
Mail ballots for the Nov. 2 elections must be requested by Oct. 23.
The ballot may be returned by mail if it is received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. It may also be dropped off at any early voting location at a secure drop box or in person during business hours at the Elections Department. A voter may also designate someone else to drop off their ballot by signing an affidavit (which can be downloaded and printed from https://www.miamidade.gov/elections/library/forms/vote-by-mail-ballot-retrieve-return-en.pdf.
Remember to insert the mail ballot in a signed privacy envelope.
After you’ve used a vote-by-mail ballot, you can track the status of your ballot online at https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser151187731708822.
Voters who lose their mail ballots can request a replacement by submitting what is called a “Replacement Mail Ballot Oath,” which can be obtained in person at the Elections Department, printed online (https://www.miamidade.gov/elections/library/forms/replacement-ballot-oath.pdf) or requested by phone at 305-499-8444. Once voters have completed and signed the oath, they may mail it to the Elections Department or deliver it in person prior to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Early voting varies from city to city
In Miami, voters will elect a mayor and commissioners for Districts 3 and 5 and will also vote on a charter amendment to allow the Rickenbacker Marina operator to redevelop 27 acres from the Rickenbacker Causeway to the Marine Stadium marinas under a no-bid, 75-year lease.
Mayor Francis X. Suarez faces challengers Anthony Melvin Dutrow, Marie Frantz Exantus (formerly Exantus McKee), Mayra Joli, Maxwell Manuel Martinez and Francisco “Frank” Pichel.
In District 3, Commissioner Joe Carollo faces Andriana M. Oliva, Rodney Quinn Smith and Miguel Soliman.
In District 5, Commissioner Jeffrey Watson faces Stephanie S. Thomas, Revran Shoshana Lincoln, Christine King, Michael A. Hepburn, Zico Fremont and Francois Jr. Alexandre.
Early voting, which will take place at seven locations across the city, begins Saturday, Oct. 23, and ends Saturday, Oct. 30.
In Miami Beach, Mayor Dan Gelber is running against four candidates: Jean Marie Echemendia, Ronnie Eith, Carlos Enrique Gutierrez and Gus Manessis.
The Group One race to replace term-limited Commissioner Micky Steinberg includes former Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Adrian Gonzalez, Raquel Pacheco and Blake Young. Gregory Branch dropped out to accept a TV contract. Voters will still see Branch’s name on their ballots because the deadline to change the ballots has passed. Votes for Branch won’t count.
In Group Two, Commissioner Mark Samuelian will no longer face a challenger after a Miami-Dade Circuit judge ruled that Fabián Basabe did not meet the one-year residency requirement to run for office, but his name will also be on the ballot.
The Group Three race to replace Michael Góngora includes Planning Board Member Alex Fernandez, Michael “Mike B” Barrineau, Melissa Beattie and Stephen Cohen. Góngora originally filed to run for reelection but dropped his bid following a judge’s order barring him from running due to term limits.
Early voting will take place at Miami Beach City Hall and the North Shore Branch Library beginning Monday, Oct. 18, and ending Sunday, Oct. 31. If there is a runoff election, early voting will take place Friday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 14.
Hialeah’s elections will feature a high-profile fight between former Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo and Isis Garcia-Martinez, the first Hispanic woman to serve as Hialeah’s City Council president. They are vying for outgoing Mayor Carlos Hernández’s seat.
Bovo and Garcia-Martinez also drew lesser-known candidates Fernando Godo, Julio Jose Martinez and Juan Santana.
The candidates for the Group Five council seat are Salvador Blanco, Mayra Jimenez and Councilman Carl Zogby.
The candidates for Group Six, left open when Councilman Paul Hernandez chose not to seek reelection, are Bryan Calvo, Ramiro Collazo-More, Hector Abel Selin and Eduardo Francisco Santiesteban.
The candidates for Group Seven, vacated by term-limited Councilwoman Katharine Cue-Fuente, are Milagros “Milly” Herrera, Michael Horgan, Abdel Jimenez, Christopher Monzon, Luis Manuel Rodriguez and Maylin Villalonga.
Early voting for the primary will take place at the John F. Kennedy Library starting Monday, Oct. 25, and ending Sunday, Oct. 31.
In Homestead, Mayor Steven Losner is facing challenges from former Mayor Jeffrey Porter and former Councilman Elvis Maldonado.
In the race for Seat One, which represents the city’s northwest section, no election will be needed. Julio Guzman was automatically elected when he was the only candidate to make the ballot.
In the race for Seat Five, Councilwoman Erica Ávila will face Planning and Zoning Board Vice Chairman Bradley Compton and Maycol Enriquez.
Councilwoman Jenifer Bailey drew a challenge for her Seat Four position from Valencia “Val” Brown.
Early voting for the primary will take place at the William Dickinson Community Center, beginning Thursday, Sept. 30, and ending Saturday, Oct. 2.
Biscayne Gardens voters will vote on whether to trigger a process to form Miami-Dade’s 35th municipality out of an area on each side of I-95, surrounded by North Miami, North Miami Beach, Opa-locka and Miami Gardens.
Early voting will take place at the Golden Glades Branch Library from Saturday, Oct. 23, to Sunday, Oct. 31.
And in Sunny Isles Beach voters will elect a new mayor after Mayor George “Bud” Scholl resigned in August to focus on his job as president and CEO of the OneBlood blood bank.
The special election will decide who will serve out the remainder of Scholl’s term, which ends in November 2022.
Candidates are Commissioner Dana Goldman, David Grossman, Jerry Joseph, and current Mayor Larisa “Laura” Svechin.
For more information about these elections, visit the Miami-Dade County Elections Department website.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
