Buckle up, folks: It's almost Election Day.
On Tuesday, November 5, Miamians will head to the polls to elect America's next president, as well as federal and state lawmakers, local school board members, county commissioners, and even Miami-Dade County's first sheriff in nearly 60 years. Notably, state constitutional amendments enshrining abortion access and recreational marijuana will also be on the ballot this year in Florida.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. today (October 24). Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Monday, October 7, was the deadline to register to vote in Florida for the 2024 general election. Which means if you aren't registered, you can't vote on Election Day.
Here's a handy guide on what to know before casting your vote:
When Do I Need to Register to Vote in Florida?
To vote in this upcoming election, eligible Florida voters must have registered to vote with their county’s supervisor of elections by Monday, October 7.What's the Deadline to Request a Mail-In Ballot?
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is today (October 24).- To request a vote-by-mail ballot in Miami-Dade, visit the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections vote-by-mail page online.
- To request a vote-by-mail ballot in Broward, visit the Broward County Supervisor of Elections vote-by-mail page online.
When Is Early Voting?
Early voting for the election will be held from October 21 through November 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.- Early voting information for Miami-Dade County residents
- Early voting information for Broward County residents
What Do I Need to Bring to the Polls?
If you're heading to the polls, make sure you're going to the correct voting precinct.- Information regarding Miami-Dade County voting precincts
- Information regarding Broward County voting precincts
What's on the Ballot on November 5, 2024?
- Miami-Dade County general election sample ballot
- Miami-Dade County municipal sample ballots
- Broward County general election and municipal sample ballots
Amendment 1: Partisan School Board
- Amendment 1 aims to return Florida’s local school board elections to a partisan format starting in 2026.
- While school board elections in Florida have been nonpartisan since the passing of Amendment 11 in 1998, which prohibited party labels in school board elections, Amendment 1 would require members of a district school board to be elected via partisan elections.
- Amendment 2 would enshrine the right to hunt and fish in the state’s constitution.
- Critics have argued that the measure is unnecessary, given that hunting and fishing already have statutory protection in Florida.
- Amendment 3 is a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana usage and possession for adults 21 years or older.
- A "Yes" vote is a vote to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. Florida law requires a 60 percent majority for passage.
- Amendment 4 would enshrine abortion access in Florida's state constitution. The referendum itself is short and to the point: "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider." Fetal viability is estimated to be around 24 weeks of pregnancy — the same standard once allowed under Roe v. Wade.
- A "Yes" vote is a vote to guarantee the right to abortion in Florida. As with the weed amendment, the 60 percent threshold applies.
- Amendment 5 seeks to adjust homestead exemptions annually in years when the Consumer Price Index rises.
- While the amendment promises lower property taxes for homeowners over time, some critics contend it could deepen inequality in Florida.
- If passed, Amendment 6 would repeal a more than two-decade-long program that provides matching funds for political contributions of $250 or less from Florida residents.
- While supporters of the amendment say the program subsidizes political candidates who don’t need the funds, others argue that it provides assistance to low-budget candidates who are up against big-dollar campaigns.
- For the first time since the 1960s, Miami-Dade voters will choose a sheriff to oversee the Miami-Dade Police Department.
- Democrat James Reyes, Miami-Dade's current chief of public safety, is running against Republican Rosanna "Rosie" Cordero-Stutz, the county police department's assistant director of investigative services.
- Former congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is running to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in November. If Mucarsel-Powell wins, the Ecuadorian born Democrat would become the first Latina from Florida to serve in the U.S. Senate.
- Maureen Saunders Scott, the estranged aunt of Florida House candidate Joe Saunders, is running against her nephew Joe and incumbent Republican state Rep. Fabián Basabe in a bizarre race that initially triggered concerns of another local "ghost candidate" scheme.
- Former school board member Martin Karp is headed to a November runoff against Joe Geller, a former state representative and mayor of North Bay Village, to replace progressive board member Luisa Baez-Geller.
- After DeSantis appointee Mary Blanco failed to secure more than 50 percent of votes to retain her District 7 seat in the August primary, she will also head to a runoff race against tech entrepreneur and teacher Max Tuchman.
- Former commissioner Michael Joseph is running against current mayor Evan S. Piper to lead the embattled city of North Miami Beach, whose former leader was removed from office in 2023 after being arrested on three felony charges for using the wrong address to vote in 2022 elections.
- Republican Joseph “Joe” Kaufman is running to unseat incumbent Democratic congressman Jared Moskowitz and flip the district red.
- Kaufman is a counter-terrorism researcher and writer who has lost six elections since the early 1990s. Moskowitz, on the other hand, is in his first term in Congress, having previously served as Florida's Director of Emergency Management and as a city commissioner for Parkland.
- A crowded field of five candidates is vying to unseat current mayor Dean Trantalis. The candidates include attorney Kenneth Cooper, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2020; DJ and conservative activist Chris Nelson; criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Jim Lewis; attorney Barbara Stern; and Trantalis, who has served as mayor since 2018.
Important Dates
- Deadline to register to vote: Monday, October 7
- Deadline to request mail-in ballot: Thursday, October 24
- Early voting period: October 21–November 3
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 5
