Democracy Depends on You

What makes local elections so important? The local government manages many areas within our communities that directly impact our daily lives. Staying informed about local issues and on Miami-Dade voting and races is crucial when you exercise your right to vote.

There is no level of government more directly responsible for serving your community than local elected officials. For this reason, our team from Reach Voters in Miami wants to share some information regarding our local elections. Read on to learn more!

Upcoming Elections

Quite a few local elections are taking place in early 2020, so exercise your right to vote and make your voice heard on local issues. These elections for the first half of the new year include:

• January 7th, 2020 Biscayne Park Special Election

• January 21st, 2020 Biscayne Park Run-Off Election

• January 28th, 2020 Florida City Biannual Election

• February 11th, 2020 South Miami General and Special Elections

• February 18th, 2020 Florida City Run-Off Election

• February 25th, 2020 South Miami Run-Off Election

• March 17th, 2020 Presidential Preference Primary Election

•                 Surfside General Municipal Election

• April 7th, 2020 Bay Harbor Islands General Election

•              Surfside Run-Off Election

• April 14th, 2020 West Miami Municipal Election
• May 7th, 2020 Bay Harbor Islands Run-Off Election

Understanding How to Vote

Registered voters in Miami-Dade have three convenient methods to vote. They can vote by mail, vote early, and of course, vote on Election Day.

If you vote in person at your precinct, be sure to bring proper ID. Your home address determines your voting location. You can find this information in the convenient Miami-Dade County Voter Toolkit.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Miami-Dade Elections Department by the 8th day prior to the election. 

Researching Candidates

Informed voting requires a notable amount of research. Many voters wonder how they can determine who they want to vote for. The good news is that through a few different resources, voters can learn all they need to know about Miami-Dade voting by enlisting the following resources:

• Ballotpedia – This resource outlines information on the elections process, in addition to all the candidates and initiatives. 
• ProPublica Represent – This tool tracks congressional voting. What this means is that voters can go through and see how candidates vote on issues for virtually anything they ever voted on. Unfortunately, this only remains applicable for candidates that are up for reelection.
• Local News Resources – Following local news coverage, websites, blogs, or newspapers may seem outdated. Still, it is a tried and true method to determine candidate platforms, in addition to their stance on the issues that matter to YOU.
• Candidate websites and social media platforms are also useful resources to research issues and find out about community events, debates or Town Hall Meetings where you might be able to hear from the candidates themselves and ask questions.

First-Hand Information

Attending debates and forums represents one of the best ways to get informed and learn as much as possible about local candidates. These events help voters cut through a substantial amount of noise, getting to the facts, and hearing the information firsthand.

Furthermore, forums provide an opportunity to present hard questions. After all, democracy thrives and works, it’s best when voters are engaged, informed, and active.

Understand Your Ballot

Depending on the current topics in local politics, you may have special measures, issues, and initiatives on your ballot. These take the form of amendments and propositions, as well as initiatives. These may seem like simple “yes” or “no” questions, but there’s often much more to the question, so it helps to print out sample ballot and research the issues so that you fully understand the issue.

When you exercise your right to vote, it is essential to stay informed. For this reason, doing the right research before casting your vote is crucial. 

To learn more about Miami-Dade voting, contact our team from Reach Voters in Miami today!

1.  “Special Election 2019-2020 – Biscayne Park, Florida.” https://www.biscayneparkfl.gov/?SEC=26F62A97-0F01-4D36-BCBB-6D99237704BC. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
2.  “2020 Biannual Election Information – City of Florida City.” http://floridacityfl.gov/elections2020igeneralinfo.pdf. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
3.  “Elections | South Miami, FL – Official Website.” https://www.southmiamifl.gov/130/Elections. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
4.  “Quick Facts – Presidential Preference Primary Election ….” https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/quick-facts-presidential-preference-primary/. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
5.  “Surfside General Municipal Election – Official Results (PDF).” 23 Mar. 2018, https://www.townofsurfsidefl.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/election-information/2018/town-of-surfside-general-municipal-election—official-results.pdf?sfvrsn=85344f94_2. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
6.  “GENERAL ELECTION | Town of Bay Harbor Islands.” 6 Nov. 2018, https://www.bayharborislands-fl.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.details&content_id=391. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
7.  “Election Information – City of West Miami – Official Website.” https://cityofwestmiamifl.com/?SEC=8E9988C1-6152-4952-8AFB-45058808EDA5. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
8.  “Voter Toolkit – Miami-Dade County.” https://www.miamidade.gov/global/elections/voter-toolkit.page. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
9.  “Elections – Miami-Dade County.” https://www.miamidade.gov/global/elections/home.page. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
10.  “Municipal elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2020 ….” https://ballotpedia.org/Municipal_elections_in_Miami-Dade_County,_Florida_(2020). Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.
11.  “Represent | ProPublica.” https://projects.propublica.org/represent/. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.