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South Florida prepares for early voting; Trump and Harris hold dueling events

Early voting starts Oct. 21, general election is Nov. 5

DORAL, Fla. – The Miami-Dade County Elections Department personnel started a public test of voting machines on Wednesday morning in Doral. In-person early voting begins on Oct. 21.

The office of Christina White, the county’s supervisor of elections, announced that they tested for “everything from opening the equipment to transmitting and tabulating results.”

White also said, the process “really does show the public that they can be confident in the election.”

Related story: Trump would be the oldest person to become president

Nearby, also in Doral, President Donald Trump, the Republica, answered questions during a town hall on Wednesday hosted by Univision, a Spanish-language broadcast.

Mexican journalist Enrique Acevedo was the moderator. Trump continued to assert that Haitian migrants were “eating other things too that they’re not supposed to be.”

Trump also defended his immigration policy and plan to increase security on the U.S.-Mexico border. He said murderers, drug dealers, and terrorists were getting through.

Related story: Trump was asked to name three nice things about Harris. His response sounded like hers

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat, was set to answer questions during her first Fox News interview on Wednesday with Bret Baier, the chief political anchor, in Pennsylvania.

Harris aims to get the support of more Republican moderates like former Rep. Adam Kinzinger. He was with Harris during a campaign rally on Wednesday in Bucks County, Pa.

Related story: Harris calls on Republican voters to put ‘country first’ as Trump woos Latino voters

Joe Scott, Broward County’s supervisor of elections, said they had already tested the voting equipment last Thursday “to make sure they are functioning properly.”

White and Scott also said the process also includes a layer of cybersecurity and building security.

“We have all new kinds of security and protocols in place, so we are making sure that our building is a safe place for our employees to work without fear or favor,” Scott said.

Related story: Harris and Trump offer new details about policies and strategy

The voter turnout in South Florida has been low so far.

As of 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Miami-Dade reported a 5.85% voter turnout.

This means only 89,269 — 39,531 Democrats, 26,880 Republicans, and 21,437 without party affiliation — out of Miami-Dade’s 1,524,702 active eligible voters have already voted by mail.

Related story: Harris and Trump transition efforts reflect their different approaches to governing

As of 4:20 p.m., Broward County reported a 5.07% voter turnout.

This means only 57,806 — 32,214 Democrats, 13,071 Republicans, and 11,519 without party affiliation — of Broward’s 1,140,819 active eligible voters have already voted by mail.


EARLY VOTING PREP


Related links: Early voting runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3 in Florida


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


How do I know if I am registered to vote?

Search this database online to look up voter information.


When is the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot?

The deadline in Florida is Oct. 24, 2024. Ballots requested for delivery within 10 days of the election additionally require a special emergency affidavit. Here is the Statewide Vote-by-Mail Request Form.


What is the deadline to return a vote-by-mail ballot?

7 p.m., Nov. 5


Who handles the process?

The Supervisor of Elections in the county of residence. Search this database to find the supervisor in your area.


Useful links


Useful contacts

  • For more information from the Florida Division of Elections, call 1-866-308-6739 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
  • For more information in Broward, call 954-357-7050
  • For more information in Miami-Dade, call 305-499-8683
  • For more information in Monroe, call 305-292-3416

Deadlines for general election


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