(WSVN) - Miami-Dade and Broward counties have surpassed their voter turnout from the 2016 presidential election, and those who went to the polls on Election Day were met with short lines and low wait times.
According to both the Miami-Dade and Broward supervisor of elections, more voters chose to vote-by-mail or voted early amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We went into Election Day with over a million people already having voted,” Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Christina White said. “That was historic in every way.”
In this presidential election, Miami-Dade County is on track to make history with an estimated 80% of registered voters casting their ballot in 2020.
Broward County elections officials said by early afternoon, nearly one million people had cast their vote in the county with 72% turnout, surpassing the total in the 2016 election with hours to go.
“Somewhere between 100,000 and 125,000 voters, I think, will show up at the polls,” Broward Supervisor of Elections Peter Antonacci said. “That will be more like a municipal election. Voting has been front loaded, so we had 840,000 people vote before Election Day. That’s a tremendous number by anyone’s standards.”
Those left to cast their ballots dealt with very short, or in many cases, no lines at all.
“I am so excited,” Patty Martinez said. “I was very excited. I was looking forward to today.”
“It’s usually packed,” Eunice Mitchell said. “I’m usually seeing a lot of people in line, but it was simple.”
Polling places, such as the Northeast Miami-Dade Library branch in Aventura, were quiet for much of the day, and there was not much action at a polling place in Miami Gardens, either.
“There wasn’t much waiting — fairly easy and very smooth,” Marthey Beliard, a Miami Gardens voter, said. “We definitely want to make sure we put the right people in place to make the correct decisions, not just for one party but for all parties.”
It was a similar story in Hialeah and around the City of Miami. When 7News checked in at Citrus Grove Middle School, there was a socially distanced line of about seven people.
“I figured more people would be here today, but it wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be,” Roberto Fernandez said.
There was also no wait to speak of at Coral Baptist Church or Coral Gate Park.
“I get a feeling of security when I see my ballot go into a ballot box,” Marco Marroquin, a Miami voter, said.
A crowd of people who have voted could be seen campaigning on behalf of their preferred candidate in Miami Lakes.
“We had over 2,000 people here every day early voting, so today has been slow but steady,” Miriam Campos, a Miami Lakes voter, said.
Miami-Dade elections officials said they expect about 200,000 people to vote on Election Day. Overall, it’s a big turnout for an even bigger decision on the ballot.
“I love this,” Vinnia Trocard said. “I think that this is the best part of America, and I’m just really excited to have voted today.”
“At first, I wasn’t going to vote, but then you got — it’s like this year, you need to vote, you need to vote, you need to vote,” Miracle Brown, a first-time voter, said.
“I’m extremely proud,” Courtney Boyne said. “Me, as an African American, I know that a lot of people died for me to be able to do this, so it’s my duty.”
With two hours to go until polls close in Florida, Broward County has reported a 74% voter turnout.
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