DORAL, Fla. – Some voters in Miami-Dade County are heading to the polls Monday as early voting for the Aug. 20 Primary Election begins.
Local 10′s Joseph Ojo was at the elections department’s main office location in Doral where doors opened at 7 a.m.
“There’s no waiting time. Like now I’m going back to work, so it took what, 5 minutes,” one voter, Frank Diaz, said.
Voters who spoke with Local 10 News Monday said it was a quick and easy process.
“I think it’s much more convenient doing it now as opposed to obviously waiting later, because people procrastinate for the most part,” Luis Martinez said.
From Monday to Friday, residents can cast their vote from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early voting will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Next week, the hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 12 through Aug. 16.
And on Aug. 17 and 18, the early voting period wraps up with hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to the county’s election site, more than 70,000 vote-by-mail ballots have already been received, and as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, more than 700 people turned out for early voting.
Voters in Miami-Dade County are reminded not to wait until the last day to cast their ballot.
There are 23 early voting locations county-wide, which makes it convenient for voters to go to any of the sites during the early voting period.
But on Election Day, voters have to go to their assigned precincts.
“The best way to prepare in advance for voting in person is to go to our website and to look at your customized sample ballot,” Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Christina White said.
Although Florida is a closed Primary state -- meaning that only voters who are registered members of a political party may vote in their respective party’s primary election -- this Primary Election is for all voters, regardless of party affiliation.
There are a number of non-partisan races and questions that all Miami-Dade County voters will be able to vote in, regardless of party affiliation. Also, due to a change in Florida law, all vote-by-mail requests expired on Dec. 31, 2022. So voters who want to vote by mail for the 2024 election cycle are required to renew their request online immediately.
“The law recently changed, so you have to put a new request on file if you want a ballot to come to you for both the August and November election,” White said.
Early voting for the Primary Election in Monroe County also began Monday and ends on Aug. 17, and early voting in Broward will be held from Aug. 10 to Aug. 18.
CLICK HERE to view all early voting locations in Miami-Dade County.
CLICK HERE to view Local 10′s Vote 2024 guide: What you need to know to vote in Florida