Miami-Dade midterm voting guide: Key races from local to federal
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Election Day is Tuesday, and Miami-Dade voters will choose new leaders and decide on polarizing ballot questions.
The big picture: Voters will make their choices on everything from property taxes and politician salaries to who Florida's next governor and congressional representatives will be.
- Over 20 Miami-Dade municipalities will hold their own elections.
Here are some of the races we're watching:
State and federal races: Sen. Ashley Moody (R) faces Democrat Angie Nixon.
- Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar faces Democrat Eliott Rodriguez in Miami's District 27.
- In the race for Florida governor, Republican Byron Donalds faces Democrat David Jolly.
State referenda: Amendment 3 would give Florida homeowners a property tax break by increasing the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 by 2027, then to $250,000 by 2028.
- If Amendment 3 passes, Miami-Dade County estimates that next year it would lose $386 million from fire rescue, transit, parks and other services.
County runoff races: In Miami-Dade Commission District 5, conservative Vicki Lopez faces progressive Rob Piper to represent a district that spans downtown Miami, Miami Beach, Little Havana and more.
- In Miami-Dade School Board District 1, Linda Cothiere faces Katrina Wilson to represent an area including North Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Opa-locka.
County and local referenda: Miami-Dade County commissioners could get a pay boost if voters approve Referendum 1, which would create an independent salary board to decide how much commissioners should make.
- They currently earn about $82,000 a year when you include their $6,000 salary, along with pay supplements and expense allowances, according to the Miami Herald.
- Aventura and Opa-locka are also asking voters to increase pay for elected officials, while North Miami Beach wants to make it harder to approve raises.
The city of Miami's Referendum 1 asks voters to let the city borrow $450 million to build a new public safety headquarters and fire stations.
- Referendum 3 — which has sparked passionate debate and campaigning — asks whether the city should lease 27 acres at the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas on Virginia Key to redevelop them with restaurants and retail space.
How to vote: Early voting is open now through Sunday from 7am–7pm.
- You can also vote in person on Election Day.
- If you have a vote-by-mail ballot, it must be returned by 7pm on Election Day.
- You can take it to an early voting site or, on Election Day, to the Office of the Supervisor of Elections or SOE Branch Office at the Stephen P. Clark Center.