About 11% of Key Bicayne’s registered voters have already cast ballots with just two weeks to go before Election Day, where a hotly contested mayoral race and several ballot questions are adding to the mix of state and federal offices. Early voting started Monday. Countywide, turnout was about 8%.
According to the Miami-Dade Elections Department, 28% of 3,044 mail ballots had been returned by Monday morning.
The voting activity could be pointing to a strong turnout, a potential repeat of the August primary, where a record 38% of registered voters in Key Biscayne cast ballots –almost double the county rate. Other indicators of high engagement: 81% of people aged 18 and above are registered, and both mail ballot requests and voter registrations are up slightly from the summer. A strong turnout would also align with the most recent midterm election, where 67% of Key Biscayners voted, compared to a county average of 54%.
The high activity, of course, means that campaigns have to adjust messages and outreach with a smaller and smaller pool of voters each day.
Nationally, several election experts are projecting high voter turnout, but whether it will top record-setting amounts in previous years is unknown.
In Key Biscayne, the electorate looks like this for 2022:
| TOTAL VOTERS | 8,183 |
| White | 2,927 |
| Black | 32 |
| Hispanic | 4,542 |
| Other | 682 |
| Male | 3,421 |
| Female | 3,935 |
| Sex Unspecified | 350 |
| Age 18-25 | 1,028 |
| Age 26-30 | 541 |
| Age 31-35 | 419 |
| Age 36-40 | 412 |
| Age 41-45 | 539 |
| Age 46-50 | 793 |
| Age 51-55 | 853 |
| Age 56-60 | 773 |
| Age 61-65 | 697 |
| Age 66-and up | 2,118 |
| Democrats | 2,182 |
| Republicans | 2,417 |
| No Party Affiliation | 3,460 |
| Other Parties | 124 |
Source: Miami-Dade Elections Dept.
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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 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.