Over 37,000 ballots are sent out ahead of Coral Gables mail-only election
Over 37,000 ballots were mailed out to registered voters in Coral Gables this week ahead of the city’s first-ever mail-only ballot election.
Mail-only ballot elections are a cheaper, though slightly uncommon, alternative for cities when no candidates are on the ballot, like in the case of the upcoming April 21 election in the City Beautiful, according to Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia. The last time Miami-Dade saw a mail-only ballot election was in 2023 in the village of Pinecrest, according to the Elections Department.
“It’s very exciting to see democracy at work,” Garcia told the Miami Herald as she and Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago watched ballots roll into a USPS truck Thursday, getting ready to be shipped out to voters.
“It’s a great opportunity to not only save residents money but to ensure our democracy continues to be at the forefront of every municipality in Miami-Dade County,” Lago added.
In this election, Gables voters will weigh in on eight referendums, including whether elections should be moved from April in odd-numbered years to November of even years. Lago said the city decided to host the vote-by-mail-only election so that if voters do decide to move elections to November, his term and the other commissioners’ terms will be reduced instead of extended.
There are no early voting or physical polling sites this time around. Voters need to mail back their ballots, or drop it off in person at the Elections Department’s Doral headquarters at 2700 NW 87th Ave., before the 7 p.m., April 21 Election Day deadline.
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“Voting by mail in Miami-Dade and throughout Florida is safe and secure,” Garcia said Thursday during a news conference inside the elections warehouse, where ballots are shipped out to voters and, later, counted. “In fact, we are considered a national model for integrity and success. The Coral Gables mail ballot election is a safe, secure, convenient and cost-effective alternative requested by the city.”
Take a look at the process:
This story was originally published March 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
