MIAMI.- Today, Tuesday, November 4, is the decisive day for municipal elections in four Miami-Dade cities.
Voters have in their hands the definition of mayors and commissioners in Miami Beach, Miami, Hialeah and Homestead. However, an alarmingly low turnout during early voting, which barely reached 12%, casts a shadow on election day.
This electoral process comes to an end in a context where national politics predominates over local issues.
Figures that worry
The calls for participation did not have the expected response in the early voting phase. The figures show that only 39,885 of the almost 337 thousand voters registered in the four municipalities voted before today, which represents a scant 11.84% of the electoral roll.
The breakdown by city reveals a significant gap. Miami Beach led the turnout with 22.09%, while Homestead recorded the lowest figure with just 4.65% of its eligible voters.
Miami, the city with the largest number of voters, reached 11.54% participation, and Hialeah reached 10.03%.
The data also shows a preference for voting by mail, which constituted 56.4% of early votes, in a race where the voting centers looked practically empty.
A disputed contest
The race for mayor of Miami is shaping up to be the closest, with thirteen candidates.
They include politicians such as County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, former Mayor Xavier Suárez, Commissioner Joe Carollo, former City Manager Emilio González and former councilors Álex Díaz de la Portilla and Ken Russell.
In Miami Beach, the main race centers on the re-election of Mayor Steven Meiner. His “law and order” campaign faces the proposal of Commissioner Kristen Rosen González, who advocates for leadership closer to citizens.
For its part, Hialeah defines its next mayor among five candidates. The interim mayor Jackie García-Roves and the contenders Jesús Tundidor and Bryan Calvo stand out. In Homestead, voters elect their vice mayor and two council members, in addition to voting on four local referendums.
A persistent problem
Low turnout is not a new phenomenon in Miami-Dade local elections, which historically generate less interest than state or federal races.
Experts attribute this trend to a lack of information on municipal issues and a general disinterest in local politics. The national reality often overshadows the issues that most directly impact the daily lives of citizens.
Despite the apathy, these elections are crucial. Local governments are responsible for essential services such as education, security, infrastructure and urban development. Decisions about flooding, affordable housing and mass event control, issues of great relevance to residents, remain in the hands of the officials elected today.
The polls will remain open this Tuesday, November 4 from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
