Voters in Miami-Dade County began casting ballots today, and the Mary Collins Community Center in Miami Lakes is one of 33 locations open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. until Nov. 3.
In Miami Lakes, more than 30 voters arrived at the polls in the first hour and machines were operating smoothly, election workers said. Outside beneath a marquee, county elections workers staffed a vote by mail ballot drop box.
And at the entrance to the parking lot, innumerable candidate signs for local, state and national offices lined the driveway and some candidates greeted voters and asked to be chosen.
Seeking to defeat incumbent Fla. Rep. Tom Fabricio, R-Miami Lakes, was retired Miami Police Officer Stanley Jean-Poix, a Democrat who lives in Miami Lakes who was campaigning with his wife.
Running for Miami Lakes Mayor, Vice Mayor Tony Fernandez stood beneath his branded marquee and said he was ready for the endurance test of scores of hours he plans to spend greeting voters on their way to their polls.
His opponent, Councilman Josh Dieguez, was set up on the other side of the driveway but away on a coffee run, the other candidates said. Their opponent, business owner Yuniett Gonzalez, was campaigning for the top spot on the dais with her daughter Chanel Gonzalez.
Seeking to win council Seat 1 are Mario O. Pinera Jr. and Angelo Garcia, who were greeting voters, too. As far as signage goes, Garcia may have the edge with his billboard on a trailer that he tows around town.
Maria Paz Sanchez said later in the day, she will bring her son Oliver Sanchez, 6, with her to vote.
“I think it’s important for people to make decisions and to follow their right to vote and to have a voice,” said Sanchez, who is originally from Chile and became a citizen in 2018.
“I watched the debate for the town,” said Sanchez about the Oct. 27 forum between Fernandez, Dieguez, Garcia and Pinera Jr. She is also secretary for the town’s Mental Health Task Force.
“I think it was very informative,” Sanchez said. “[Moderator] Alex Penelas was very tough. But we need that. Before I had an idea of who to choose. But his questions helped me make my decisions.”
Greeting motorists at the corner of Miami Lakes Drive and Montrose Road was Ralph Reichard, a Miami Laker and member of the Northwest Dade Democratic Club.
He was waving a giant Kamala Harris flag, designed in a way the mimics flags of her opponent, Donald Trump.
Drivers honked, some with a friendly wave, others with vigorous thumbs down.
“It’s about 50:50, which is surprising for here,” Reichard said. “I’ve always heard it’s very Republican, but I’ve seen more movement by Democrats, helping with early voting, at events and driving in caravans.”
Voter turnout in recent elections has been dismal, though having a presidential race on the ballot may change that. Reichard said he was on the corner to support Harris and drive up voter turnout.