By james art Latonia Nelson, a 51-year-old teacher who lives in Miami Gardens, voted at the North Dade Regional Library on Monday. As an African-American woman, she knew that the presidential candidate she marked on her ballot was not the most popular in her community.
The last time Nelson was at the polls, she voted for Barack Obama a second time in 2012.
This year, Nelson voted for former President Donald Trump.
“If they’re black, they vote Democrat … Not this time,” Nelson said. “I feel like I woke up.”
Nelson was one of thousands in Miami-Dade County who voted on the first day of early in-person voting for South Florida’s 2024 general election. In addition to electing a president, voters will be able to decide on constitutional amendments to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults and to end Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Miami-Dade County will also elect its first sheriff in 60 years.
READ MORE: How and where to vote in South Florida
The Miami-Dade County Elections Department told the Miami Herald that more than 144,000 voters had already cast ballots as of 2 p.m. Monday. Of those, almost 124,000 voted by mail and about 20,000 went to the polls. Early in-person voting runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through November 3; Election day is Tuesday, November 5.
Caplin News interviews voters about their choice for president. Trump is expected to win Florida and its 30 Electoral College votes this year. Once a swing state, Florida is not among the seven battleground states this election cycle.
Nicole Delgado, 22, voted for the first time at the John F. Kennedy Library. Delgado, who is Hispanic and lives in Hialeah, voted for Vice President Kamala Harris because he believes their political views align, especially on abortion.
“I loved how she stood up for women who had [their] rights taken away by the abortion ban,” Delgado said. “She’s there all the way, not like Trump.”
Kelly Sanchez
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FIU Caplin News
Adela Pique, a 67-year-old Hispanic resident of Hialeah, voted for Trump the last two times he ran for president and again on Monday.
Pique said she likes Trump’s policies on immigration and is concerned about what another eight years under a Democratic administration could potentially mean for the United States.
“Every time the Democratic Party takes the reins of this country, the borders always open up. When it’s not by air, it’s by sea,” Pique said in Spanish.
Della Logan is 70 years old and a black resident of Miami Gardens. Logan, who is retired, voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and for President Joe Biden in 2020. Logan voted for Harris on Monday at the North Dade Regional Library.
Logan, who said she votes in every election, supports Harris’ economic policies.
“To me, it’s more about the regular guy, the working guy … It’s about everybody,” Logan said.
READ MORE: Not sure who to vote for? Here’s our guide to voter guides for the 2024 general election
Maria Lorenz, a 69-year-old Spanish retiree, said she voted for Trump – for the third time.
Lawrence, who went to the John F. Kennedy Library to vote, said she likes life under the Trump administration.
“These people [Biden and Harris] have been here for four years and they have done nothing and now the lady who is going to run as a candidate has done nothing,” Lawrence said in Spanish.
“Are we going to wait another four years for the destruction of the country to end?” she asked.
Kelly Sanchez
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FIU Caplin News
For Willie Rozong, 40, a scientist living in Miami Gardens, the decision was easy. Rosesong has voted Democrat in the last two elections and was determined to vote for Harris.
Abortion was the most important issue for Rosesong.
“It takes us back in time,” Rozong said. “I feel as a society people don’t feel that way and at the end of the day it’s a woman’s right. That is not a man’s right.”
Lysis Canino, 52, a Cuban-American lawyer who lives in Hialeah, voted for Trump at the John F. Kennedy Library. Canino, who is a Republican, said she always votes for Trump.
“[I’m] I’m really happy that I was able to vote,” Canino said.
Hunter Smith of Doral, who voted for Biden in 2020, voted for Harris this time.
“It puts more focus on the environment, more focus on the middle class, [will] to give them opportunities that maybe other administrations wouldn’t,” Smith said.
Nelsida Alvarenga, a 60-year-old paralegal who lives in Tamami, voted for Trump at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department in Doral.
“I’m for a better economy, better immigration, closed borders, we need safety,” Alvarenga said.
Kelly Sanchez
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FIU Caplin News
Sheila Boyd, 74, a retiree who lives in Miami Lakes, said she voted Democratic in 2016 and 2020 and that hearing what Trump had to say on the campaign trail helped her stay on the side. of Harris.
“[Trump] is bully and what they envision for Project 2025 is not good,” Boyd said, referring to the conservative Heritage Foundation’s proposals to run the government. Trump rejected the plan.
“Our lives depend on it,” Boyd said. “I’m not trying to go back to the 60s.
The story was originally published by Caplin News, a publication of FIU’s Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, as part of an editorial content partnership with the WLRN newsroom.