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With a week to go before Key Biscayne’s first mayoral primary in decades, about one in ten of Key Biscayne’s 8,015 eligible voters have cast ballots so far. 

While the number may seem low, it’s actually much higher than the Miami-Dade County average of under 9%. Turnout in primary elections is typically low, even though the mayor’s race, the school board, and judicial elections are nonpartisan and all registered voters can cast ballots for those contests.  

The record turnout in Miami-Dade for a gubernatorial primary year was 21% in 2018, said Elections Department spokeswoman Suzy Trutie. Key Biscayne is the only Miami-Dade municipality holding a mayoral primary. Fausto Gomez, Joe Rasco, and Katie Petros are each hoping to advance to the November election. 

As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, some 1,121 Key Biscayne voters had cast ballots, with 954 people voting by mail and 167 voting at early voting sites. Countywide, Democratic voters appear to have been more engaged than Republicans or independents. 

“Traditionally, the last week of early voting is when we see a spike in numbers,” Trutie said, as she urged voters to get to the polls. “Local elections affect your life,” she said. 

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Editor-in-Chief

Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.

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Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow...