Supervisors of elections start to distribute vote-by-mail ballots in Miami-Dade and Broward

Supervisors of elections in Miami-Dade and Broward counties were hard at work on Thursday to distribute vote-by-mail ballots for the midterm election on Nov. 3. Democracy in action: Domestic vote-by-mail ballots were in the first batch, which makes up more than 300,000 voters. “It is excitement because this is a huge job, getting them all processed, getting them organized on these containers and ready to go on the trucks, getting the postal service to bring out these 18 wheelers, having FHP here to escort the trucks, there is a lot of coordination and organization that goes into this,” said Joe Scott, the Broward Supervisor of Elections.Scott said this is one of several major projects that have to happen during an election for a big county like Broward.“We want to stop and celebrate those victories along the way because that is what keeps the team moving and pushing on to the next goal,” Scott said about his leadership style. Scott had some tips for voters. “There is no need to wait. You can get that ballot completed and mail it back to us, or you can bring it to one of our office locations,” Scott said. Early voting begins on Oct. 19.“We will actually have a ballot return station at all of our early voting sites, 30 locations across Broward County,” Scott said. “To vote early drop their vote by mail ballot there.” Alina Garcia, Miami-Dade County’s supervisor of elections, also gave voters’ tips. “It is important that you check your mailboxes,” Garcia said. She also added, “First, take your time and review your entire ballot carefully, read the instructions, review the contests.” Scott said voters can rest assured that the system is going to work the way it has worked the past couple of cycles. “You get your ballot, you make sure you sign that envelope, and you send it back to us, we are going to make sure that signature matches,” Scott said. “If that signature matches, your vote will be counted. If it doesn’t, we are going to reach out to you and make sure you are aware of the problem and have an opportunity to fix that problem.”Garcia said there aren’t any problems with mailing it back.“Either you put it in the mailbox, or you can bring it to one of our early voting locations,” Garcia said. “We are going to have 28 voting locations.”Scott said there have been some pretty favorable court decisions that are going to make sure that the status quo is maintained.“We continue to operate in a way that is proven and true over multiple election cycles now,” Scott said. Related links BY EXECUTIVE ORDER – https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/A MOVE REJECTED BY THE SUPREME COURT https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a305_4g15.pdfACCORDING TO REUTERS: “The White House defended U.S. President Donald Trump’s ability ‌to vote by mail, after reports the president cast his ballot by mail in Florida’s Republican primary despite previously blasting mail-in ballots as ‘cheating’.” https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/white-house-defends-trumps-ability-vote-by-mail-2026-08-18/THE MIT ELECTION DATA AND SCIENCE LAB SAYS DOCUMENTED INSTANCES OF VOTE-BY-MAIL FRAUD ARE RARE “Documented instances of fraud related to VBM are rare and research finds no reason to believe that fraud is more common in VBM states.” https://electionlab.mit.edu/research/voting-mail-and-absentee-votingTHE BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER SAYS MAIL VOTING IS SAFE – SECURE – AND RELIABLE – ADDING “Mail ballots suspected of fraudulent activity are set aside for further investigation and, when appropriate, are referred to law enforcement for prosecution.” https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/mail-voting-is-safe-secure/BY THE NUMBERS: Miami-Dade: 202,547 VBM ballots to be mailed todayBroward: 136,000 VBM ballots to be mailed todayRESEARCH THE ISSUES AND CANDIDATES: Registered Voters: Head to the Vote 2026 section of Local10.com to research the issues and candidates you have the opportunity to weigh in on. STILL NEED TO REGISTER TO VOTE? Deadline to register to vote: October 5, 2026Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: October 22, 2026 Source: https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/election-dates/Broward: https://browardvotes.govMiami-Dade: https://www.votemiamidade.gov/elections/detail.page?mduid_election=ele1787926699492371Monroe Co FL: https://www.votemonroeflkeys.govPalm Beach: https://www.votepalmbeach.gov