Does your city have an election soon? Here’s what Miami-Dade voters need to know
The new year is here, and that means the 2022 election season has officially begun.
In August, voters will decide party primaries and, in some neighborhoods, vote in races for Miami-Dade County Commission. During the fall, Floridians will elect a governor, cabinet members and state lawmakers to represent them in Tallahassee, and Miami-Dade voters in more than a dozen cities will elect local leaders.
But before then, starting this month, Miami-Dade residents in some communities will also elect local officials and vote to amend their city charters in off-season elections where turnout is typically low.
Here’s everything you need to know about when to vote in Miami-Dade’s spring elections, 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 special elections on Jan. 25 in Florida City, Medley and Sunny Isles Beach, the deadline to register has passed. The deadline to request a mail ballot is Jan. 15
Runoff elections for the Jan. 25 contests are planned for Feb. 8 in Sunny Isles Beach and February 15 in Florida City and Medley should a candidate fail to get 50% or more of the vote in any race.
The deadline to register to vote in a potential runoff in Florida City and Medley is Jan. 18, and the last day to request a mail ballot is Feb. 5.
The deadline to register for the Sunny Isles Beach runoff has passed, but voters can still request a mail ballot by Jan. 29
For the Feb. 18 general election in Indian Creek Village, the deadline to register is Jan. 20 and the deadline to request a mail ballot is Feb. 8.
The deadline to register for the March 8 general election in Hialeah Gardens is Feb. 7, and the deadline to request a mail ballot is Feb. 26.
For the March 15 general election in Surfside, the deadline to register is Feb. 14, and mail ballots must be requested by March 5. A runoff election will be held April 5, if necessary.
The deadline to register for the March 22 Cutler Bay special election and Hialeah Gardens run-off election is Feb. 22, and mail ballots must be requested by March 12.
For the April 5 election in Bay Harbor Islands, the cutoff to register is March 7. A runoff election will be held May 5, if necessary.
The deadline to register for the April 12 special election in West Miami is March 14.
After the West Miami election, there are no elections scheduled until the statewide primary in August.
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, printing it, signing it and mailing it or dropping it off at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department headquarters at 2700 NW 87 Ave., Miami, FL 33172.
A family member may also 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 here and printed.
The ballot, which must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day to count, may be returned by mail. 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). 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.
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 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.
Here’s what is on the ballot (so far)
In Cutler Bay, voters will cast ballots by mail in a special election to decide whether their village should vote to approve a $37 million general obligation bond to fund the development of a park, community center and municipal building on a 16-acre town property.
In Florida City, Mayor Otis Wallace is running for reelection against former commissioner and mayoral candidate Israel Andrews, former commissioner and teacher Avis Lloyd Brown and former Florida City police sergeant Rocquel McCray.
Commissioner Roy Shiver is running for reelection against former commission candidate Eugene “Button” Berry and Walter Thompson.
Florida City voters will also decide whether to amend the city’s charter to designate the city manager to be the chief executive of the city, instead of the mayor.
Medley’s special election was caused by the suspension of Councilwoman Ana Lilia Stefano, who faces fraud charges for allegedly using her association with a nonprofit to steal donations.
Former council candidate Karina Pacheco, the wife of Medley Vice Mayor Ivan Pacheco, faces office administrator Lourdes Rodriguez in the race to fill Stefano’s seat.
A married couple on a council would be a first for Florida, where the anti-nepotism law “does not prohibit a husband and wife from simultaneously serving on the same town council,” according to a 1989 Florida Attorney General opinion.
Sunny Isles Beach is holding a special election to replace two commissioners who vacated their seats to run for mayor after former Mayor Bud Scholl resigned in August. Johana Rabinovich, who was appointed by Mayor Dana Goldman to fill the role in the interim in November, faces former mayoral candidate Jerry Joseph and Steve Trattner of the Trattner Group. Fabiola Stuyvesant, who was also appointed to the role in November, faces Poinciana Island Yacht & Racquet Club president and former candidate Greg Capra and Arie Steiger, president of the Steiger Group construction firm.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett is running against Vice Mayor Tina Paul for the town commission’s top seat, and a crowded group of commission candidates are running for a seat on the dais. They are: Carolyn Baumel, Fred Landsman, Marianne Meischeid, Jeffrey Rose and current Commissioner Nelly Velasquez, who is running to keep her seat.
The other ballots in cities with later elections have not yet been set.
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 3:04 PM.