City Commission Candidates, How To Vote In The 2021 Miami General Election

MIAMI, FL — With Nov. 2, Election Day coming up in Miami and early voting under way, here’s everything you need to know about your city commission candidates and voting in the city.

Voting by Mail

If you’re a registered voter in Florida, there are three ways to vote: by mail, early and in person on Election Day.

If you haven’t already requested a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2021 elections, it’s too late. (Though you can still request a vote-by-mail ballot for 2022.)

If you already have a vote-by-mail ballot, though, you may:

return it via the United States Postal Service and it must be received by Miami-Dade County’s Elections Department by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

drop it off at any early voting location during the hours of operation via a secure drop box

drop it off in person during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Miami-Dade Elections Department at 2700 NW 87th Ave. in Miami

You can’t drop your ballot off at your precinct on Election Day. Postage is pre-paid for your vote-by-mail ballot in countywide elections, so a stamp is not required. You can track your ballot here.

Learn more about voting by mail in Miami-Dade County here.

Early Voting in Miami

Early voting started Oct. 22 and is available through Sunday. Early voting locations are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Here are the early voting locations in Miami for the 2021 elections:

• Allapattah Branch Library, 1799 NW 35th Street
• Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive
• Hispanic Branch Library, 1398 SW 1st Street
• Lemon City Branch Library, 430 NE 61st Street
• Stephen P. Clark Center, Supervisor of Elections Lobby, 111 NW 1st Street
• Shenandoah Branch Library, 2111 SW 19th Street
• West Flagler Branch Library, 5050 West Flagler Street

Voting In Person On Election Day

Those voting in person on Election Day, Nov. 2 must do so at their assigned voting location. Find your voting precinct here. All precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To vote in person, you must bring a valid ID with your name, photo and signature. Acceptable forms of ID include a Florida driver’s license, a Florida ID card, a U.S. passport, a debit or credit card, a military ID, student ID, a retirement center ID, a public assistance ID, a Florida concealed-weapon license ID, veteran health ID cards or a government-issued employee ID>

Miami City Commission Candidates

Voters will select Miami’s next mayor, as well as commissioners in districts 3 and 5, in the 2021 election.

Six candidates are vying for the role, including incumbent Francis X. Suarez. Here are the candidates running for mayor:

• Anthony Melvin Dutrow: Though he doesn’t have much of an internet footprint, according to Ballotpedia, Dutrow ran as an independent candidate to represent Florida’s district 20 in the U.S. House.
• Marie Frantz Exantus: According to Ballotpedia, this candidate’s primary goals if elected are to raise minimum wage to $25, bail out small businesses, and build better relationships between neighborhoods and law enforcement.
• Mayra Joli: This immigration attorney. specializes in detention and removal proceedings, is president and CEO of the Joli Law Firm, PLLC. According to her campaign’s Twitter feed, she supports the free market, individual rights and justice, empowering families, helping small business, and stopping overdevelopment.
• Maxwell Manuel Martinez: This entrepreneur’s main priorities are affordable housing, anti-oppression and inclusion, public transportation and traffic, environmental issues, investing in Miami’s youth and crime prevention, according to his website.
• Francisco “Frank” Pichel: This former police officer previously served as chair of the city’s code enforcement board and ran for the city commission’s district one seat, according to the New Tropic. He’s facing felony charges for impersonating a police officer while in the Florida Keys at the end of September, according to the Miami Herald.
• Francis X. Suarez: An attorney and son of former a former mayor, Xavier Suarez, incumbent Francis X. Suarez is a former commissioner and was elected to the role of mayor in 2017 with 86 percent of the vote, according to his biography on the city website.

The following candidates, including incumbent Joe Carollo, are vying for the city commission’s district 3 seat:

• Joe Carollo
• Andriana Oliva
• Quinn Smith
• Miguel Soliman

The following candidates, including incumbent Jeffrey Watson, are running for the city commission’s district 5 seat:

• Francois Alexandre
• Zico Fremont
• Michael A. Hepburn
• Christine King
• Revran Shoshana Lincoln
• Stephanie S. Thomas
• Jeffrey Watson