FLORIDA (WSVN) — South Florida voters are heading to the polls Tuesday for the state’s primary election, with several key races on the line.
More than 338,000 voters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties have already cast their ballots through early voting by mail and at the polls, but Tuesday is the final chance for those who haven’t yet voiced their choice to do so at official polling locations.
“I believe that, that was important to make sure we get out here and make sure our vote is counted,” said a voter.
“It was so easy. I feel it so important because in the way that the country been running by this government, we have to make a change,” said another voter.
“I love democracy. How many of our wars are fought over the right to vote? There are other countries where the people can’t vote,” said a third voter.
One of the most closely watched races is for the newly established Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, where voters will choose the county’s top law enforcement official. The race is crowded, with a total of 15 Republican and Democrat candidates competing for the position, including the county’s current Chief of Public Safety. The winner of each party will face each other in November.
Another significant race is for Miami-Dade County Mayor.
Incumbent Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is facing five Republican challengers and one independent, with Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid emerging as her fiercest opponent. Though the mayoral position is technically non-partisan, the race has drawn considerable attention from both sides of the political spectrum.
“What happens here in Miami-Dade County is critically important to everyone’s quality of life,” said Cava. “People really need to think about local elections and how much they matter.”
Cid casted his vote Tuesday morning and made a last pitch to voters on why they should vote for him.
“If this administration continues the way it goes, you are going to see a Miami-Dade where you only gonna be left with a binary community. Either those who are extremely wealthy or those who are extremely poor,” said Cid.
School board elections are also on the ballot, a coveted position that has become increasingly politicized in recent years.
The statewide race for the U.S. Senate is also heating up, with Senator Rick Scott running for re-election against two Republican challengers, while five Democrats and five independents are also in the running.
Florida is a closed primary state, meaning that Democrats and Republicans can only vote within their respective parties during the primaries. However, non-partisan races, such as those for judges and commissioners, are open to all voters.
“That means that you must be a registered member of a specific political party in order to vote in that party’s partisan races, but this election is for everybody. They are multiple non-partisan races on the ballot,” said Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Christina White. “For instance, the county mayor. That’s a county-wide seat it’s a non-partisans race.”
In Broward County, the race for sheriff is another non-partisan contest drawing attention. Incumbent Sheriff Gregory Tony faces three challengers: retired BSO Colonel Al Pollock, Plantation Police Department veteran Steve Geller, and West Palm Beach Police Department veteran David Howard.
So far, in each county voter turnout has been low.
As of 4 p.m., Miami-Dade had a 17% turnout while Broward County had a 15% turnout.
“A lot of these positions are very important. You have judges, you have school board members, you have county executives. You have all these local positions and not only are these key roles right here in our local community, but they’re actually going to be decided in August,” said Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott.
All polling locations have security in place to make sure voter’s right to vote is protected and accounted for.
“You will actually go through the process of filling out your own ballot, you put it in a secrecy sleeve, walk it over to the tabulation machine and you actually scan your ballot in the tabulator yourself,” said
Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Christina White emphasized the importance of voters doing their research before heading to the polls.
“I always tell voters that you should not be looking at your ballot for the very first time in the privacy booth,” White advised.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. South Florida voters can only cast their ballots at their assigned precinct.
Broward County voters who haven’t submitted their mail-in ballot can drop it off at nine polling locations by 7 p.m.
Voters in Broward County can find their locations here while Miami-Dade voters can find their assigned precinct here.
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