DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - It’s time for voters to voice their choice in Miami-Dade County, and officials are urging them to hit the polls as early voting is off to a slow start.
Nieves Rodriguez, a resident of Miami-Dade County for over 60 years, decided to hit the polls for Florida’s primary election, Friday morning.
“It’s a nice place. You decide what you want, you come and vote, and it’s the American way,” she said.
However, Rodriguez is one of the few who have voted so far in the county.
Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Kristina White told 7News that voter turnout is at an all-time low.
“All 1.5 million voters in Miami-Dade have something important on this ballot, so we should all be turning out to vote,” she said.
And the numbers don’t lie.
As of Friday, just over 11% of voters in Miami-Dade County have cast their ballots, a huge decrease from what is usually seen during a primary election year, where turnout is between 20% and 28%.
“These are really important elections. I mean, we have the county mayor, commission, school board, many races that are going to affect people’s day-to-day lives,” said White, “and so, we’re always pushing the primary election anyway. This time around, I just don’t see the engagement.”
And of the approximately 250,000 voters who have recently requested a vote-by-mail ballot, only 46% have returned them.
“It’s – sometimes it’s just plain laziness, too,” Rodriguez said.
The stakes are high, but engagement is low.
“These are important non-partisan races on this ballot, so everybody should be voting,” White said.
The time for voters to have their voices heard is now.
“I hear a lot of people complaining about, you know, the economy and everything that’s going on, but the only way you can make a change [is] if you vote,” Rodriguez said.
The deadline to drop off your mail-in ballots is Sunday at an early voting site, and early voting wraps up 4 p.m.
On Election Day, voters will be unable to drop off their ballots and will have to vote in person.
The Florida primary is on Tuesday, Aug 20.
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